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HISTORY OF 

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tn % if tetania 



GARRISON 

NEW YORK 



Including, up to 1840, St. Peters Church 
on the Manor of Cortlandt 



by 
E. CLOWES CHORLEY, B. D. 

MEMBER OF THE AMERICAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION 




NEW YORK 

EDWIN S. GORHAM 

1912 



Of this edition, three hundred 
copies have been printed. This 
copy is 






Copyright, 1912 

E. Clowes Chorley 

Garrison, N. Y. 



HOWARD PRESS 
Poughkeepaie, N. Y 



£CI.A314730 



TO THE 

WARDENS 
VESTRYMEN 

AND 

CONGREGATION 

OF 

ST. PHILIP'S CHURCH 
IN THE HIGHLANDS 



vu 



INTRODUCTION. 



NO apology is needed for writing the history of an 
American Church founded in the reign of George 
III. In the diocese of New York there are but 
fourteen Anglican churches which ante-date the War of 
the Revolution, and it is of the utmost importance that 
their records should be permanently preserved. The 
purpose to tell the story of this Highland parish was in- 
spired by the accidental discovery of some historical notes 
in the handwriting of the late Hon. Hamilton Fish, LL.D., 
for many years an honored Church Warden of the parish. 
Further investigation revealed a wealth of material. 
We are fortunate enough to possess the minutes of the 
Vestry from its first recorded meeting of September 1st, 
1770 — broken only for a few years during and after 
the Revolution — down to the present day, in addition 
to which Frederick Philipse, for thirty-seven years 
clerk and treasurer, kept all important letters and ac- 
counts. 

It would have been possible to have constructed a 
narrative history of the parish from these sources without 
the wealth of quotation which the reader will find in the 
following pages, but the writer has chosen to allow the 

ix 



Introduction 

records to speak for themselves. The arrangement of the 
chapters consequent upon an association of St. Peter's 
and St. Philip's in a common life of seventy years has 
involved some repetition, for which due allowance should 
be made. 

The facts herein set forth have been gleaned from 
many fields, but, in most cases, authorities are quoted in 
the notes. Grateful acknowledgment is made of the 
courtesy of the librarians of Yale and Columbia Univer- 
sities, the General Theological Seminary and the New 
York Historical Society; the Rev. Dr. Hart, custodian 
of the Archives of the General Convention, the Comp- 
troller of the State of New York; Mr. James Nelson, 
Mr. Franklin Couch and Mr. H. Cammann, Comptroller 
of the Corporation of Trinity Church, for permission to 
use the valuable books and manuscripts in their hands, 
and to Mr. E. H. Virgin for reading the proofs. The 
Misses Philipse and Miss Van Cortlandt have freely 
placed the rich treasures of family papers and por- 
traits, so far as they relate to the churches, at our 
disposal. 

Special mention should be made of the valued co- 
operation of Mr. Stuyvesant Fish, a Vestryman of the 
parish, who has proved unwearied in his search for 
material and most accurate in his estimate of its value. 

While no effort has been spared to insure accuracy, it 
is too much to hope that no errors will be discovered. 
As Robartes wrote in the preface to his work on Tythes 
in 1613, "Who faulteth not, liveth not; the Printer hath 
faulted a little; it may be the Author hath ouersighted 



Introduction 

more," but, with all its imperfections, this modest con- 
tribution to the history of a church older than these 
United States of America is sent forth in the spirit of the 
words of the Psalmist: 

Walk about Sion, and go round about her: and 
tell the towers thereof. Mark well her bulwarks, 
set up her houses: that ye may tell them that 
come after. 



<c.-tt. 



The Rectory, 

Garrison, 
New York. 
All Saints Day, 1911 




XI 



CONTENTS. 

FOREWORD Page 

Chapter I. 1 

The Church in the American Colonies. 
Chapter II. 8 

The Church in the Colony of New York. 

THE UNITED CHURCHES 
Chapter HI. 17 

St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel, 1767-1840. 
Chapter IV. 64 

St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel. 
The Rectors, 1770-1840. 
Chapters V-VI. 115-155 

St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel. 
The Wardens and Vestrymen, 1770-1840. 

ST. PHILIP'S IN THE HIGHLANDS 
Chapter VII. 178 

The Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands. 1770-1840. 
Chapter VIII. 225 

The Parish of St. Philip's in the Highlands, 1840-1911. 
Chapter IX. 257 

The Parish of St. Philip's in the Highlands. 
The Rectors, 1840-1911. 
Chapter X. 279 

The Parish of St. Philip's in the Highlands. 
The Wardens and Vestrymen, 1840-1911. 
Chapter XI. 311 

The Glebe Farm. 
Chapter XII. 340 

The Churchyard. 
Chapter XIII. 347 

The Parish Register. (Containing a list of Baptisms, 
Confirmations, Marriages and Burials, 1809-1911.) 
Appendix. 394 

Letters to the Corporation of Trinity Church and to 
Bishop Hobart , 1795-1813. 
Bibliography 413 

Index 421 

xiii 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 



Opposite 

! Page 

St. Philip's Chapel in the Highlands . Frontispiece 
(From a drawing by George E. Moore, 1857) 

St. Peter's Church, 1767 18 

The Rev. John Ogilvie, D.D . 22 

Minutes of First Vestry Meeting, 1770 32^ 

Receipt for Damages in the War of the Revolution, 1791 42 l 

Interior of St. Peter's Church 54 

The Rev. Andrew Fowler, M. A 88 

Title Page of the Rev. Andrew Fowler's Principal Book. 

On page 99 

Salary Receipt of the Rev. Joseph Warren, 1806 . . 108 

Colonel Beverly Robinson . 120 

(From a miniature by John Plott) 

William Denning 158 

Lieutenant-Governor Pierre Van Cortlandt . . . . 160 
(From a painting by Jarvis) 

General Pierre Van Cortlandt 164 

(From a painting by Collins) 

Captain Frederick Philips 174 

(From a painting by Gilbert Stuart) 

Jacob Mandeville's House 188 

Bishop Benjamin T. Onderdonk 206 

Salary Receipt of the Rev. James Sunderland . . . 218 

The Old Rectory 234'' 

St. Philip's Church in the Highlands 240 * 

Bishop Horatio Potter 244 ' 

Interior of St. Philip's Church in the Highlands . . . 246 

xv 



Page j 



List of Illustrations 

Opposite 
Page 

St. James' Chapel 248 

The Samuel Sloan Memorial Rectory, 1911 . . . 250 * 
(From architect's drawing) 

The Virginia Sturges Osborn Memorial Altar . . . 254 

The Toucey Memorial Parish House 256 N 

The Rev. Henry Lemuel Storrs, M.A 258 

The Rev. Ebenezer Williams 260 

The Rev. Edward Mills Pecke, M.A 264 

The Rev. Joel Clap, D.D 266 

The Rev. Charles Frederick Hoffman, M. A., D. D. . 268 

The Rev. Albert Zabriskie Gray, D.D 270 ^ 

The Rev. Walter Thompson, M. A., D.D 272 

The Rev. Carroll Perry, B. D 276 

Samuel Gouverneur 280 

John Garrison 282 

Frederick Philipse 284 

Henry Belcher 286 " 

William Moore . 288 

The Hon. Hamilton Fish, LL. D 290 

(From a painting by Huntington) 

Colonel Thomas Boyle Arden 294 

Samuel Sloan . 296 

Charles deRham 298 

Henry Casimir deRham 300 

Richard Dean Arden 302 

Announcement of Vandue of the Glebe Farm, 1774 . 314 

Affidavit concerning the Glebe Farm, 1792 . . . 316 

Affidavits concerning the Glebe Farm, 1792 . . . 318 

A Parochial Appeal and Subscription, 1774 . . . 320 

A Page of the First Parish Register 348 



xvi 



CHAPTER I. 

THE CHURCH IN THE COLONIES OF AMERICA. 

THE Church in America is an integral part of the 
Holy Catholic Church founded by Jesus Christ, 
and built upon the foundation of the Apostles and 
Prophets. Neither the Reformation in England, nor 
the Revolution in America, severed the chain of her 
historic continuity. 

First upon the ground, she has remained steadfast ever 
since the founding of the nation. The beginnings of the 
Church are contemporaneous with the beginnings of the 
American Colonies; both took root the same day. With 
the hardy adventurer, seeking fame and fortune in virgin 
lands, there came the Priest of the Church to conquer 
the new world for Christ. 

Whilst the Church was not permanently planted in 
Virginia until 1607, occasional services were held at least 
twenty-eight years before that date. In 1579, on his 
memorable voyage around the world, Sir Francis Drake 
arrived on the Pacific coast and anchored in Drake's 
Bay. The fleet carried its own chaplain, the Rev. 
Francis Fletcher, and during the stay of about six weeks 
Fletcher conducted services. To him belongs the honor of 
being the first Anglican to preach Christ in this broad land. 
The first serious attempt to colonize the West was 
made in 1585 under the direction of Sir Walter Raleigh. 
One hundred and fifty persons landed at Roanoke, 
naming the land Virginia, in honor of Queen Elizabeth. 



2 The History ofSt.Philip's Church 

There accompanied the colonists one Thomas Hariot, 
who was the first missionary to America. During the 
one year of their stay Hariot, "many times and in every 
towne where he came, made declaration of the contents 
of the Bible, and of the chiefe points of Religion, to the 
natives according as he was able." In 1587 the first 
native Indian, Manteo, was baptized. One week later 
there was baptized Virginia Dare, the first white child 
born in the Colony. 

Fourteen years before the Puritan "turned to the new 
world to redress the balance of the old" an Anglican 
Church was built at the mouth of the Kennebec river, in 
what is now the State of Maine, and the minister in 
charge was the Rev. Richard Seymour, great-grandson 
of the Duke of Somerset. 

The colonists of 1585-7 carried back to England glow- 
ing reports of the fertile land and balmy skies of Virginia, 
and their story appealed to the merchant anxious for 
new markets, to the statesman burning to annex new 
lands, and to the Churchman yearning to convert the 
Indian. A new Company was chartered, to which the 
Crown granted lands reaching from South Carolina to 
Nova Scotia. On the 19th of December, 1606, three 
small ships, commanded by Christopher Newport, set out 
for the New World. The largest vessel was of one hun- 
dred tons burden; the smallest, twenty. After battling 
with wind and wave for a whole winter they entered 
Chesapeake Bay, and sailed up the James river about 
thirty miles and effected their settlement at Jamestown, 
so named after the English King. 

In that bold venture the Church of England took the 
warmest interest, and Robert Hunt, one of her Priests, 



The Church in the Colonies 3 

accompanied the adventurers as chaplain. The first 
act of the colonists on landing was to kneel upon the 
beach and return thanks to Almighty God for deliver- 
ance from the perils of the great deep. Such was the 
first permanent settlement of the Anglo-Saxon race and 
the Church of England in America. 

The land was covered with virgin forest and peopled 
with savage and hostile Indians. But, undaunted by 
either, "Now falleth every man to worke; the Counsell 
contrive the fort, and the rest cut down trees to make 
place to pitch the tents; some provide clapboard to 
relode the ships; some make gardens, some nets." The 
dual purpose of the settlers must ever be borne in mind. 
They left home and kindred to extend the bounds or 
Empire, to find gold and to convert the Indians. Their 
great hope, admirably stated by Christopher Newport, 
was that their venture "would tend to the glory of God, 
his majesties revenue, our countries profit, our owne 
advantage, and fame to all posterity." Missionary zeal 
kept pace with commercial enterprise. 

Captain John Smith, whom Bancroft calls "the true 
father of Virginia," happily has left behind a pamphlet 
entitled, Advertisement for the Unexperienced Planter of 
New England. From that precious record we are able 
to glean particulars of the earliest provision for public 
worship, to which the settlers were summoned morning 
and evening by the roll of the drum. 1 " I have been often 
demanded by so many how we began to preach the 
Gospell in Virginia . . . what Churches we had, and 

1 The use of the drum to call the faithful to prayer was common 
in New England and New York down to the War of the Revolution. 



4 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

our order of service. When I first went to Virginia, 
I well remember we did hang an awning (which is an old 
saile) to three or four trees to shadow us for the service; 
our walls were rails of wood; our seats unhewed trees. 
In foule weather we shifted into an old rotten tent, for 
we had few better, and they came by way of adventure 
for new." In that primitive structure, on the third 
Sunday after Trinity, June 21st, 1607, the Holy Com- 
munion was celebrated for the first time in Virginia. 
Thus did those devout Churchmen keep the sacred Feast, 
and for a while forget their loneliness and danger as they 
held mystic communion with "angels, archangels and 
all the company of heaven." 

As the Colony prospered, a new church was erected 
which is described as "a homely thing, like a barn, set 
on cratchets, covered with rafters, sod and brush." 
This served until the settlement was devastated by fire 
in which Robert Hunt "our preacher, lost all his librarie 
and all that he had (but the cloathes on his back)," but on 
the arrival of new stores, "the mariners set aboute a 
church which they finished cheerfully and in short tyme" 
— too short indeed — for Captain John Smith tells us 
"the rain washed it neere to nothing in fourteen days." 
With the arrival of Lord Delaware in 1610 steps were 
taken to rebuild the Church, and we are indebted to 
Strachey, secretary of the Colony, for a description of 
the new and statelier structure. " The Captaine Generall 
hath given order for the repairing of the Church, and at 
this instant many hands are upon it. It is in length three 
score foote, in breadth twenty foure and shall have a 
chancell in it of Cedar, and a Communion Table of black 
Walnut, and all the pewes of Cedar, with fare broad 



The Church in the Colonies 5 

windows to shut and open as the weather shall occasion: 
a pulpit of the same wood with a font hewen hollow, like 
a canu, with two Bels at the West End. It is so cast as 
to be very light within, and the Lord Governour doth 
cause it to be kept passing sweete and trimmed up with 
divers flowers, with a sexton belonging to it." 

In due course cedar gave way to red brick, and at James- 
town today there stands an ivy -mantled tower keeping 
watch and ward over a few weather-beaten grave-stones 
bearing eloquent witness to the piety and devotion of 
those few men who planted the Church in the wilderness. 

Strachey describes the services in the church. "Every 
Sunday we have sermons twice a day, and every Thurs- 
day a sermon, having preachers which take their weekly 
turnes. Every morning at ten of the clocke, each man 
addresseth himself to prayers, and so at foure of the 
clocke before supper." Pomp and pageant were not 
absent from the little Colony and Jamestown Church 
must have presented a gay appearance. "Every Sunday 
when the Lord Governour and Captaine Generall goeth 
to Church he is accompanied with all the councell, 
captaines, other officers and all the gentlemen, with a 
guard in his Lordship's livery of faire red cloakes, to the 
number of fifty both on eache side and behind him; and, 
being in the Church, his Lordship hath his green velvet 
chair with a cloath, and a velvet cushion spread on a 
table before him on which he kneeleth; and on each side 
sit the Councell, captaine and officers, each in their 
place, and when he returneth home againe, he is waited 
on to his house in like manner." 

The name of the Rev. Robert Hunt should stand high 
upon the honored roll of the makers of America. Ap- 



6 The History of St. Philip* s Church 

pointed Vicar of Reculver, in the county of Kent, in 1594, 
he resigned eight years later to accompany the Colonists in 
their hazardous venture. It is impossible to exaggerate 
the debt Virginia owes to his priestly devotion. Before 
the ships left the English Channel, the old chronicler says, 
" So many discontents did then arise, and Mr. Hunt, our 
preacher, was so weake and sicke that few expected his 
recovery, yet, he, with the greatest of patience and his 
godly exhortation (but chiefly by his true devoted ex- 
ample) quenched those flames of en vie and dissension." 
After the voyagers had landed, "Many were the mischiefs 
that daily sprung from their ignorant yet ambitious 
spirits, and then was the time that godly man, Master 
Hunt, did his part in healing our strifes, and he went from 
one to the other with sweet words of good counsell, how 
that we shall love and forgive our enemies; nay, he used 
more worldly arguments, pointing out that the welfare of 
our little band depended chiefly upon our union, for that 
we were in an unknown land, exposed to the attacks of the 
hostile natives, and we needed, therefore, all the ties of 
brotherly love." His arguments prevailed, "for we all 
loved him for his exceeding goodness, and the next day 
we all received the Holy Communion together as an out- 
ward and visible pledge of reconciliation." 

Robert Hunt's apostolic labors were too much for his 
frail body and he sickened and died, the only recorded 
reference to the event being that of Purchas who says, 
"his soule questionless is with God." A fitting epitaph 
is that of a contemporary writer who said of him, "He 
was not in any way to be touched with the rebellious 
humour of a popish spirit . . . but was an honest, 
religious and courageous divine." 



The Church in the Colonies 7 

So was the old Church planted in the new land — 
planted thirteen years before the Pilgrim Fathers landed 
on Plymouth Rock, and two years before the Dutch 
came to New Amsterdam. 



CHAPTER II. 

THE CHURCH IN THE COLONY OF NEW YORK. 

IN the year of our Lord, 1609, Henry Hudson, in the 
ship Half Moon, anchored inside Sandy Hook, and, 
not long after, cabins, protected by a fort, sprung 
up on Manhattan Island. A few years later the "Dutch 
West India Company" was organized, with permission 
to effect a settlement in America. In 1625 thirty 
families arrived from the Netherlands, and Manhattan 
Island was purchased for twenty-four dollars. Within 
five years the first Dutch Reformed Minister arrived and 
found fifty communicants. The Dutch remained in 
peaceful possession until the 8th of September, 1664, 
when the Duke of York's fleet anchored in the Bay. 
When the news was carried to Peter Stuyvesant he 
stormed, swore — and surrendered; New Amsterdam 
became New York. 

With Governor Nicholls came the English Church in the 
person of a chaplain to the fleet. The various religious 
bodies dwelt in perfect harmony together, and for thirty 
years the chaplain conducted services at the chapel 
within the Fort alternately with the Dutch dominie, and 
during a portion of that period the Roman Priest also offi- 
ciated. So matters proceeded until 1693, when, because 
"Profaneness and Licentiousness had overspread the 
Province from want of a settled Ministry throughout the 
same, it was ordained by Act of Assembly that six Prot- 
estant Ministers should be appointed therein." 



The Church in N ew York 9 

Governor Fletcher interpreted the phrase "Protestant 
Ministers" to mean of the Church of England as by law 
established, and in 1697 steps were taken to build a 
church in New York, and Trinity parish was organized, 
with Compton, Bishop of London, as Rector at a yearly 
salary of one hundred pounds. The first Trinity Church, 
designed to be "the sole and only parish church and 
churchyard in this our said city of New York," was 
opened on March 13th, 1698, enlarged in 1737, and 
destroyed by fire during the War of the Revolution. A 
contemporary writer describes it as "standing very 
pleasantly upon the banks of the Hudson River, with a 
large cemetery on each side, and enclosed in front by a 
painted pailed fence." Its revenue was restricted by 
Act of Assembly to five hundred pounds, but, the writer 
remarks, "it is possessed of a farm at the north end of the 
city, which is lately rented, and will in the course of a few 
years, it is hoped, produce a considerable income." The 
first resident Rector of Trinity Parish was the Rev. 
William Vesey, who served faithfully for fifty years. 

When the eighteenth century opened the population 
of the Province of New York was 25,000, distributed 
"in Twenty Five towns — ten of them Dutch; the rest 
English." Long Island is described as "a great place 
with many inhabitants." For the most part the Dutch 
were Calvinists, and the English, "some of them Inde- 
pendents, but many of them of no Religion and like 
wild Indians." 

The religious conditions at that time are graphically 
pictured by the Rev. William Vesey, who writes, in 1697: 

Besides this Church (Trinity) and the Chappel in 
the fort, one church in Philadelphia (Christ Church), 



10 The History of St. Philip's Church 

and one other in Boston (King's Chapel), I don't re- 
member to have heard of one building erected for the 
public worship of God according to the Liturgy of 
the Church of England in this Northern Continent of 
America from Maryland (where the Church was es- 
tablished by a Law of that Province) to the Eastern- 
most bounds of Nova Scotia, which I believe in length 
is 800 miles. 

Church and State alike were aroused in England by the 
report of the irreligion in New York. When Lord 
Cornbury was sent out in 1703 as Governor he was in- 
structed to "take especial care that God Almighty be 
devoutly and duly serv'd throughout your Government. 
The Book of Common Prayer as by Law established read 
each Sunday and Holy Day, and the blessed Sacrament 
administer'd according to the rites of the Church of 
England. You shall be careful that the Churches 
already built there be well and orderly kept, and that 
more be built as the Colony shall, by God's Blessing be 
improved." Had Lord Cornbury 's character at all 
fitted with his instructions his services to the cause of 
Religion would doubtless have been more effective; as it 
was, in 1707, he imprisoned the Rev. Thoroughgood 
Moore in Fort Ann for celebrating the Holy Commun- 
ion "as often as once a fortnight," which "frequency he 
was pleased to forbid." 

In 1702 the English Society for the Propagation of the 
Gospel in Foreign Parts decided to send six missionaries 
to America, and the Rev. Patrick Gordon and the Rev. 
George Keith arrived in the middle of the year. Their 
advent marks the spread of the Church outside the city 
of New York. Patrick Gordon was appointed to Jamai- 
ca, but "took sick the day before he designed to preach, 



m 



The Church in N ew York 11 

and so continued till his death about eight days after." 
The apostolic labors of George Keith bore abundant 
fruit. When he preached at Hempstead there was " such 
a Multitude of people that the Church could not hold 
them, so that many stood without at the doors and win- 
dows to hear, who were generally well affected and great- 
ly desired that a Church of England Minister should be 
settled amongst them." Three days later he preached 
in New York on the occasion of "the weekly Fast which 
was appointed by the Government by reason of the great 
mortality . . . Above five hundred died in the space of 
a few weeks, and that very week about seventy." 
Keith's missionary journeys embraced New York, New 
England, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia 
and North Carolina, and of his experiences he writes : 

In all the places where we travelled and preached, 
we found the people well affected to the Doctrine 
which we preached among them, and they did gen- 
erally join with us decently in the Liturgy and Pub- 
lick Prayers, and the Administration of the Holy 
Sacraments, after the usage of the Church of Eng- 
land, as we had occasion to use them. 

Slowly, but surely, the Church made headway. When 
the Rev. J. Thomas went to Oyster Bay in 1704 the 
people had been "wholly unacquainted with the Blessed 
Sacrament for five and fifty years together," yet seven 
years later he had "five and thirty of them in full Com- 
munion with the Church who (once) were entirely 
ignorant that Communion was a duty," and he had also 
"the most numerous of any country congregation within 
this or the neighboring Colonies." In Staten Island, 
where the Rev. E. Mackenzie was stationed (1704), 



12 The History of St. Philip's Church 

successful primary schools were established. The French 
congregation loaned their church building and the Dutch 
received the Prayer Book in their native tongue. In 
1712 "a pretty handsome church" was opened, with a 
parsonage and glebe attached. 

In those days Albany was an important trading center 
with a population of nearly 4,000, mainly Dutch. Some 
300 soldiers were stationed in the fort to guard against 
the French and the Indians. In 1709 the Rev. Thomas 
Barclay commenced his missionary work, and for seven 
years was allowed the use of the Lutheran Church. A 
united effort was made to erect an Anglican Church, 
which called forth unexampled generosity. The town of 
Albany raised £200, the "poor soldiers of two Independ- 
ent Companies" giving £100; every inhabitant of the 
village of Schenectady contributed, "one very poor man 
excepted;" and three Dutch ministers added their 
contributions. The church was opened in 1717 and is 
described as "by far the finest structure in America." 

In 1745 the Rev. William Vesey reported that in New 
York and New Jersey there were "twenty-two Churches, 
most of them commonly filled with hearers." Almost 
from the beginning the Church in New York engaged in 
missionary work. For three years the Rev. H. Beyre 
ministered to a Dutch congregation in Harlem (1710-13), 
where Colonel Morris had "persuaded the Dutch into a 
good opinion of the Church of England." 

Even more worthy of note is the Church's ministra- 
tions to the slaves in New York. The missionaries and 
schoolmasters were instructed to prepare the slaves for 
Baptism and Confirmation, and sixteen priests and 
thirteen lay teachers were set apart for this work. In 



The Church in New York 13 

1704 a " Catechising School," under Mr. Elias Neau, was 
opened in New York to minister to those "who were 
without God in the world, and of whose souls there was 
no manner of care taken." Mr. Neau, having received 
from the Governor a license "to catechise the Negroes 
and Indians and the children of the town," left the 
French Church, "not upon any worldly account, but 
through a principle of conscience and hearty approbation 
of the English Liturgy," and devoted himself to work 
amongst the slaves. Many of the slave-owners opposed 
the effort, being "strangely prejudiced with a horrid 
notion thinking that the Christian knowledge would be a 
mean to make their slaves more cunning and apter to 
wickedness." In 1726 Trinity Vestry reported that 
there were in the city "about 1400 Negroe and Indian 
slaves, a considerable number of which had alreade 
been instructed in the principles of Christianity." This 
work was carried on till the Revolution. 

Missionary work on a much larger scale was carried on 
amongst the Indians. There were five Indian nations 
bordering on the Province of New York, and the French 
Jesuits of Canada found in them a fruitful field for 
intrigue. Whereupon, the Lords of the Council (1703) 
requested the Archbishop of Canterbury to appoint 
"two Protestant Ministers with a competent allowance 
to dwell among them in order to instruct them in true 
Religion and confirm them in their duty to Her Majesty." 

Lord Cornbury held a conference at Albany with five 
Sachems, who informed him that "they were glad to hear 
that the Sun shined in England again since King Wil- 
liam's death," and they hoped Queen Anne would be "a 
good mother and send them some to teach their Religion 



14 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

and establish traffic amongst them, that they might be 
able to purchase a coat and not go to Church in bear 
skins." The first missionary to the Indians was the Rev. 
Thoroughgood Moore, who arrived in 1704 and was warm- 
ly welcomed by the Mohawks. In 1712 a chapel was 
opened for that tribe by the Rev. Thomas Barclay. 
The political difficulties with the French were a constant 
hindrance to the work of the missionaries. False 
reports were spread that "the white people were coming 
to cut them all in pieces," and that Mr. Barclay was 
"the chief contriver of the plot, and in league with the 
Devil." An even greater hindrance was the unwearying 
persistence of the Dutch traders in selling rum, but, in 
spite of all, the work was successfully prosecuted for 
many years. 

The War of the Revolution seriously interrupted, but 
did not destroy, the mission of the Church in the Colony. 
The armed hostilities placed the Clergy in a most 
embarrassing position. They had solemnly taken the 
oath of supremacy to the King, and to omit the prayer 
for the royal family in the public services was against 
their oath and their conscience. In time of so great 
political excitement excesses were inevitable. The Cler- 
gy suffered severely. Some were "pulled out of their 
reading desks because they prayed for the King;" 
others were fined for not appearing at "militia musters 
with their arms." Many of the harassed Clergy closed 
their churches and fled for their lives, but, for a time, 
the Rev. Charles Inglis, Rector of Trinity Church, re- 
mained in the city. In April, 1776, the revolutionary 
forces arrived in New York. Mr. Inglis behaved with 
admirable discretion, yet remained true to his oath. It 



The Church in New York 15 

was intimated to him that General Washington would 
attend the service, and "would be glad if the violent 
prayer for the King and royal family were omitted." 
May 17th was appointed by Congress "as a day of 
public fasting, prayer and humiliation," and Mr. Inglis 
preached on "Peace and Repentance." On a later 
Sunday a company of soldiers marched into Trinity 
Church "with drums beating and fifes playing, their 
guns loaded and bayonets fixed, as if going to battle." 

In September, when one of the churches was re-opened, 
"joy was lighted up on every countenance on the restora- 
tion of our publick worship." It was short lived. On 
the Saturday following, one-fourth of the city, including 
Trinity Church, the rectory and the school, was des- 
troyed by fire. Feeling ran so high that in 1783 Mr. 
Inglis resigned his rectorship and was transferred to 
Nova Scotia, and his was the signal honor of becoming 
the first Colonial Bishop of the Anglican Church. 

Through fire and water God brought the Church in 
America into a wealthy place, and set her feet in a large 
room. In 1787, Samuel Provoost was consecrated first 
Bishop of the Diocese of New York in the Chapel of 
Lambeth Palace, and the Church was firmly established 
in the State. 

From New York to the County of Westchester was not 
a far cry even in those early days, and the work of the 
Church spread northward to that county, part of which 
was still in the wilderness. That there was pressing need 
of religious work in the county was apparent from the 
fact that in 1693 there were not more than six commun- 
icants of the Church in Westchester. A most striking 
picture of the religious conditions is drawn by Colonel 



16 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Caleb Heathcote, who, writing of conditions in 1697, 
says: 

I found it the most rude and heathenish country 
I ever saw in my whole life,' which called themselves 
Christians, there being not so much as the least 
marks or footsteps of religion of any sort; Sundays 
being the only time sett apart by them for all manner 
of vain sports and lewd diversions, and they were 
grown to such a degree of rudeness that it was intol- 
erable, and having then command of the Militia, I sent 
an order to all the Captains, requiring their men under 
Arms, and to acquaint them, that in case they would 
not in any Town agree among themselves to appoint 
Readers and pass the Sabbath in the best way they 
could, till such time as they could be better provided, 
that they should every Sunday call their companies 
under arms, and spend the day in exercise. 

Given such a choice, little wonder that the Colonel 
reports, "Whereupon it was unanimously agreed on 
through the County to make choice of Readers; which 
they accordingly did, and continued in those methods 
for some time." 



CHAPTER III 

ST. PETER'S CHURCH AND ST. PHILIP'S CHAPEL 

FOR just seventy years St. Peter's on the Manor of 
Cortlandt and the chapel of St. Philip's in the 
Highlands were associated in a common paro- 
chial life. The threads of the history of the one are so 
closely woven with the other that the effort, in the next 
chapter, to recite the history of St. Philip's Chapel, 
without repetition, can only be partially successful. 
In this chapter events common to both are outlined. 

St. Peter's Church stands on the Manor of Cortlandt, 
which included also the present parishes of North and 
South Salem, Somers and Yorktown. In 1697 eighty- 
three thousand acres of land were, by Royal Charter, 1 
erected into the lordship and manor of Cortlandt, the 
first Lord of the Manor being Colonel Stephanus Van 
Cortlandt, one of the members of the Council of the 
Province of New York. By the terms of the Charter 
the owner enjoyed the patronage of all the churches erect- 
ed on the Manor, and was required to pay "at our city of 
New York on the feast day of the Annunciation of our 
Blessed Virgin Mary, the yearly rent of forty shillings 
current money of our said Province." 

In 1693 there was passed in the New York Assembly 
an Act for the Settlement of a Ministry. That Act 
provided for the maintenance of ministers in New York 

1 Book of Patents, Albany, No. VII, 165. 



18 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

city, and the counties of Kings, Queens, Richmond and 
Westchester. For the latter county two ministers were 
provided, one to be stationed at Rye, the other at West- 
chester. Although persistent efforts were made to cap- 
ture the provision for a Puritan ministry, the potent 
influence of Governor Fletcher secured it for the Church 
of England in the Colony. 

The first missionary of the Church appointed under 
this Act in Westchester County was the Rev. John 
Bartow, formerly Vicar of Pampsford, Cambridgeshire. 
He was appointed to Rye in 1702, but through the in- 
fluence of Colonel Caleb Heathcote, took up his residence 
at Westchester, where there was already a wooden church 
with neither desk, pulpit nor bell. Two years later the 
Rev. Thomas Pritchard, a Welshman, took charge of the 
work at Rye, where, there being no church building, he 
preached in the Town House. 

From these two centers the county was evangelized. 
In 1703 Mr. Bartow visited Eastchester and held occa- 
sional services, which resulted in the entire body of Pres- 
byterians conforming to the Church. In the same year 
he went to Yonkers, where services were conducted in a 
private house and sometimes in a barn. From Rye the 
Rev. George Muirson reached out to Bedford, where he 
preached every fourth Sunday, and found them "a very 
willful and stubborn people." 

In 1724 the Rev. Robert Jenney held services at White 
Plains and officiated eight times a year at Mamaroneck, 
and the same year he extended his work to Northcastle. 
A notable addition to the strength of the Church was 
the adhesion of the French Huguenot congregation and 
minister of New Rochelle in 1709. 




p 

PS 5 
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St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 19 

As time went on an effort was made to evangelize the 
northern section of the county. The manuscript records 
of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel show, 
that as early as 1744, the Rev. James Wetmore, of Rye, 
conducted church services at Peekskill. Writing on 
April 3rd, 1746, he says: "That as there are great num- 
bers of people in the wilderness northward of Bedford 
and Westchester, who have very little knowledge or sense 
of religion, Mr. Lamson's 1 labors will be employed to good 
purpose among them." The Rev. Ebenezer Dibblee 
of Stamford, Connecticut, who traversed the same district 
in 1761, "found no settled teacher of any denomina- 
tion, but met several heads of families, professors of the 
Church of England, and many others well disposed 
towards it." His companion on the same journey, Mr. 
St. George Talbot, reports: "The state of religion I tru- 
ly found deplorable enough; they were as sheep without 
a shepherd, a prey to various sectaries, and enthusiastic 
lay teachers; there are many well wishers and professors 
of the Church among them, who doth not hear the liturgy 
in several years." 

The first known step towards the erection of a house 
of worship on Cortlandt Manor was on March 23rd, 
1750, when Andrew Johnson conveyed six acres of land 
for that purpose. He was the husband of Catharine 
Van Cortlandt. The deed ran as follows: 

1 Rev. Joseph Lamson was born at Stratford, Conn., and after his 
graduation from Yale entered the Church. After his ordination in 
England he was appointed by the S. P. G. as assistant to the Rev. 
Mr. Wetmore at Rye to minister to the inhabitants of Bedford, North 
Castle, and Ridgefield at a salary of £20 per year. From thence he 
went to Fairfield, Conn., where he ministered for 26 years. He died 
in 1773. 



20 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Andrew Johnson of Perth Amboy, East Jersey, 
party of the first part, for the value of five pounds, 
conveys to Caleb Hall, Joseph Travis and Palatiah 
Hows, parties of the second part, a parcel of land ly- 
ing at a place called Peekskill, being a part of lot no. 
8, beginning at the north-east corner of the second 
parcel of land lately purchased by Joseph Taylor, 
by the north side of Crumpond road, containing six 
acres, &c. to have and to hold in trust for a school 
and burying place, and also for their executors and 
successors in trust, to the only proper use, benefit and 
behoof and exercise of the public worship of God; and 
that it be for that purpose in the erecting and build- 
ing of a meeting house or houses for the religions, (un- 
der the protection of our most gracious majesty) either 
the Church of England, Presbyterian, Independents, 
Baptists or Congregationalists, &c. to erect and build 
a house for the religious exercise of public worship of 
God, with a convenient yard thereto, to them the said 
Caleb Hall, &c, their heirs and successors, in trust 
for the neighbourhood and inhabitants roundabout 
from generation to generation for ever, and for no 
other use, purpose or intent whatsoever. 1 

This gift of land was not utilized for sixteen years. 
But in 1766 certain subscribers, both of the Manor of 
Cortlandt and the lower part of Philipse's Upper Patent, 2 
appointed Trustees "for directing and carrying on a 
building, and for securing it to the inhabitants as a place 
of public worship, according to the establishment of the 
Church of England." 3 The trustees were Beverly 
Robinson, Jeremiah Drake, Caleb Ward, Isaac Hatfield 
and Charles Moore. The church was called St. Peter's, 

1 Westchester County Records, Lib. H, 339. 

2 Now Putnam County. 

3 Bolton's History of Westchester County, Vol. I, 119. 



St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 21 

and was opened for divine service on the 9th of August, 
1767, by the Rev. John Ogilvie, D. D., of New York. 
Born in 1723, Dr. Ogilvie was a graduate of Yale. He 
married Margaret Philipse, daughter of Nathaniel 
Mars ton. Ordained by the Bishop of London, his 
principal work was amongst the Indians at Albany and 
in Canada, and he subsequently became an Assistant 
Minister in Trinity Church, New York. He died Novem- 
ber 26th, 1774. 

There is still preserved an old quarto Bible, printed in 
1728, in which there is the following entry : 

The gift of Mrs. Susannah Robinson, 1 to S. Peter's 
Church, at Peekskill which Church was by the desire 
of Beverly Robinson, Esq., Messrs. Jeremiah Drake, 
Caleb Ward, Isaac Hatfield, and Charles Moore, 
trustees, appointed by the subscribers to said Church 
for directing and carrying on said building, and for 
securing it to the inhabitants as a place of public 
worship, according to the establishment of the Church 
of England, on Sunday the 9th of August, in the year 
of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and sixty- 
seven, being the eighth Sunday after Trinity, conse- 
crated by the Rev. Dr. John Ogilvie of New York, 
for the service of the Holy Trinity, according to the 
rites and ceremonies of the Church of England, as by 
law established, by the name of S. Peter's Church. 

From a letter dated October 15th, 1770, it would 
appear that the church was by no means finished at the 
opening service, but it was subsequently made "a decent 
and comfortable building for performing divine worship 
in." A recently discovered letter, written by William 

1 Wife of Beverly Robinson. 



22 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

Denning in 1795 to the Rev. Mr. Hargill, sheds valuable 
light upon the building of St. Peter's. He says: 

When S. Peter's was built, near Peekskill, so very 
unable were the Episcopalians to accomplish it 
that they called upon their friends of the Presbyter- 
ian congregation to assist them and promised that 
whenever the building was unoccupied by the Epis- 
copalian congregation, that of the Presbyterians 
should have the use of it. This seems to have been 
well understood and conceded by the Episcopalians. 1 

This fact may somewhat account for the attempt made 
by the Presbyterians, about 1789, to take possession of 
the church. 

The church erected, steps were then taken to create a 
parish, with a vestry, in which the property could be 
legally vested. As early as March of 1770 the Trustees 
had petitioned Lieutenant-Governor Colden for a Royal 
Charter which was formally granted under date of 
August 18th, 1770. 

Royal Charter of St. Peter's Church: 

George the Third, by the Grace of God, of Great 
Britain, France and Ireland, King, Defender of the 
Faith, &c, to all to whom these presents shall come, 
greeting: 

Whereas, our loving subjects, Beverly Robinson, 
Charles Moore, Jeremiah Drake, Caleb Ward, John 
Johnson, Joshua Nelson, Thomas Davenport and 
Henry Purdy, on behalf of themselves and sundry in- 
habitants on the upper part of the Manor of Cort- 
landt, and the lower part of Philipse Patent, in com- 
munion of the Church of England as by law estab- 

1 Archives of Trinity Corporation, Sept. 10th, 1795. 











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St Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 23 

lished, by their humble petition, presented on the 21st 
day of March now last past, to our trusty and well 
beloved Cadwallader Colden, Esq., our Lieutenant 
Governor and Commander-in-Chief of our Province 
of New York and the territories depending thereon in 
America, in Council, did set forth that the petitioners 
have at a great expense and trouble erected a con- 
venient house for a place of Divine Worship near 
Peekskill, to be according to the Church of England 
as by law established, and being very desirous of pro- 
moting the same, and settling a minister amongst 
them, did humbly conceive that if our said Lieuten- 
ant-Governor and Commander-in-Chief would be 
pleased to take the matter into consideration, and to 
grant them a Charter with such privileges, immunities 
and conditions as our said Lieutenant-Governor and 
Commander-in-Chief should see fit, and that the said 
Beverly Robinson and Charles Moore may be ap- 
pointed church-wardens, and the said Jeremiah 
Drake, Caleb Ward, John Johnson, Joshua Nelson, 
Thomas Davenport and Henry Purdy, vestrymen in 
the Charter, by the name of the church- wardens and 
vestrymen of S. Peter's Church, in the Manor of 
Cortlandt, near Peekskill. No one being willing to 
encourage the pious intentions of our said loving 
subjects, and to grant their reasonable request, know 
ye, that of our especial grace, certain knowledge and 
mere motion, we have ordained, given, granted and 
declared, and by these presents for us, our heirs and 
successors, do ordain, give, grant and declare, that the 
said petitioners and such other person and persons, 
and their successors for ever, as now are or shall 
hereafter from time to time be, as well of the Church 
of England as by law established, as members of the 
congregation of the said church in the herein above 
recited petition, called S. Peter's Church, in the 
Manor of Cortlandt, near Peekskill, and also contrib- 



24 The History of St. Philip's Church 

utors to the support and maintenance of a minister 
of the Church of England as by law established, to 
officiate in the said church for the time being, shall, 
with the rector of the said church of S. Peter's for the 
time being, forever hereafter be one body corporate 
and politic, in deed, fact and name, by the name, style 
and title of the rector and members of S. Peter's 
Church, in the Manor of Cortlandt, near PeekskilL 
And them and their successors by the same name, we 
do by these presents, for us, our heirs and successors, 
really and fully make, erect, create and constitute one 
body politic and corporate in deed, fact and name, 
forever, and will give, grant and ordain that they and 
their successors, the rector and members of S. Peter's 
Church, in the Manor of Cortlandt, near Peekskill, 
by the same name shall and may have perpetual 
succession, and shall and may be capable in law to sue 
and be sued, impleade and be impleaded, answer and 
be answered unto, defend and be defended in all 
courts and elsewhere in all manner of actions, suits, 
complaints, pleas, causes, matters and demands 
whatsoever, as fully and amply as any our liege sub- 
jects of our said Province of New York may or can 
sue or be sued, impleade or be impleaded, defend or be 
defended, by any lawful ways or means whatsoever; 
and that they and their successors by the same name 
shall be for ever hereafter capable and able in the law 
to purchase, take, hold, receive and enjoy any mes- 
suages, tenements, houses and real estate whatso- 
ever in fee simple, for term of life or lives, or in any 
other manner howsoever for the use of the said 
church, and also any goods, chattels, or personal 
estate whatsoever, provided always that the clear 
yearly value of the said real estate (exclusive of the 
said church and the ground whereon the same is 
built, and the cemetery belonging to the same) doth 
not at any time exceed the sum of one thousand 



St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 25 

pounds current money of our said Province; and that 
they and their successors by the same name, shall 
have full power and authority to give, grant, sell, 
lease and dispose of the same real estate for life or 
lives, or years, or forever, under certain yearly 
rents, and all goods, chattels and personal estate 
whatsoever at their will and pleasure. 

And that it shall and may be lawful for them and 
their successors to have and use a common seal. 

And our will and pleasure further is, and we do 
hereby for us, our heirs and successors, ordain and 
appoint that there shall be forever hereafter belong- 
ing to the said church, one rector of the Church of 
England as by law established, duly qualified for the 
cure of souls, two church wardens and six vestrymen, 
who shall conduct and manage the affairs and busi- 
ness of said church and corporation in manner as 
hereafter is declared and appointed; and for the more 
immediate carrying into execution our royal will and 
pleasure herein, we do hereby assign, constitute and 
appoint Beverly Robinson and Charles Moore to be 
the present churchwardens, and Jeremiah Drake, 
Caleb Ward, John Johnson, Joshua Nelson, Thomas 
Davenport and Henry Purdy to be the present vestry- 
men of the said church, who shall hold, possess and 
enjoy their said respective offices until Tuesday in 
Easter week now next ensuing, and yearly, and every 
year thereafter for ever, on Tuesday, in Easter week, 
in every year, the rector and members of S. Peter's 
Church, in the Manor of Cortlandt, near Peekskill, 
shall meet at the said church, and there by the ma- 
jority of voices of such of them as shall so meet, elect 
and choose two of their members to be church-war- 
dens, and six others of their members to be vestry- 
men of the said church for the ensuing year, which 
said church-wardens and vestrymen so elected and 
chosen shall enter upon their respective offices and 



26 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

hold, exercise and enjoy the same respectively from 
the time of such elections, for and during the space 
of one year, and until other fit persons shall be elected 
and chosen in their respective places; and in case the 
church-wardens or vestrymen, or either of them, by 
these presents named and appointed, or who shall be 
hereafter elected or chosen by virtue of these presents, 
shall die before the time of their respective appointed 
services shall be expired, or refuse or neglect to act 
in the office for which he or they is or are herein nom- 
inated and appointed, or whereunto he or they shall 
or may be so elected and chosen, then our royal will 
and pleasure is, and we do hereby direct, ordain and 
require the rector and members of S. Peter's Church, 
in the Manor of Cortlandt, near Peekskill, for the time 
being do meet at the said church, and choose other or 
others of their members, in the place and stead of him 
or them so dying, or neglecting or refusing to act with- 
in thirty days next after such contingency. And in 
this case for the more due and orderly conducting the 
said elections, and to prevent any undue proceedings 
therein, we do hereby give full power and authority 
to ordain and require that the rector and the said 
church- wardens of the said church, for the time being, 
or any two of them, shall appoint the time for such 
election and elections, and that the rector of the said 
church, or in his absence, one of the said church- war- 
dens for the time being, shall give public notice there- 
of by publishing the same at the said church imme- 
diately after divine service, on the Sunday next pre- 
ceding the day appointed for such elections; hereby 
giving and granting that such person or persons as 
shall be so chosen from time to time by the rector and 
members of S. Peter's church, in the Manor of Cort- 
landt, near Peekskill, or the majority of such of them 
as shall in such case meet in manner hereby directed, 
shall have, hold, exercise and enjoy such, the office or 



St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 27 

offices to which he or they shall be elected and chosen, 
from the time of such elections until the Tuesday in 
Easter week next ensuing, and until other or others 
be lawfully chosen in his or their place and stead, as 
fully and amply as the person or persons in whose 
place he or they shall be chosen, might or could have 
done by virtue of these presents. And we do hereby 
will and direct that this method shall forever here- 
after be used for the filling up all vacancies that shall 
happen in either the said offices between the annual 
elections above directed. 

And our royal will and pleasure further is, and we 
do hereby for us, our heirs and successors, give and 
grant, that as well the church- wardens and vestrymen 
to these presents nominated and appointed as such, 
as shall from time to time be hereafter elected and 
chosen as is herein directed, shall have and they are 
hereby invested with full power and authority to 
execute their several and respective offices in as full 
and ample manner as any church-wardens or vestry- 
men in that part of our kingdom of Great Britain 
called England, or in this our Province of New York 
can or lawfully may execute their said respective 
offices. 

And further our royal will and pleasure is, and we 
do, by these presents, for us, our heirs and successors, 
give, grant, ordain and appoint, that the rector and 
the said church-wardens of the said church, for the 
time being, or any two of them, shall and may from 
time to time, as occasion may require, summon and 
call together at such day and place as they shall think 
proper, the said rector, church-wardens and vestry- 
men for the time being, to meet in Vestry, giving 
them at least one day's notice thereon; and we do 
hereby require them to meet accordingly: And we 
do hereby give, grant and ordain that the said rector 
and one of the said church-wardens, for the time 



28 The History of St. Philip's Church 

being at least, together with the majority of the said 
vestrymen of the said church for the time being, 
being met in vestry as above directed, shall forever 
hereafter have, and are hereby invested with full 
power and authority by the majority of their voices, 
to do and execute in the name of the rector and mem- 
bers of S. Peter's Church, in the Manor of Cortlandt, 
near Peekskill, all and singular the powers and au- 
thorities herein before given and granted to the said 
rector and members of S. Peter's Church, in the Man- 
or of Cortlandt, near Peekskill, any wise touching or 
relating to such lands, messuages and tenements, real 
and personal estate whatsoever, as they the said rec- 
tor and members of the said church in the Manor of 
Cortlandt, near Peekskill, shall or may require for 
the use of the said church, and also in like manner to 
order, direct, manage and transact the general in- 
terest, business and affairs of our said corporation, 
and also shall have full power and authority in like 
manner to make and ordain such rules, orders and 
ordinances as they shall judge convenient for the 
good government and discipline of the members of 
the said church; provided, such rules, orders and or- 
dinances be not repugnant to the laws of that part of 
our kingdom of Great Britain called England, or of 
this our Province of New York, but as or may be agree- 
able thereto, and that the same be fairly entered in 
a book or books to be kept for that purpose, and also 
in like manner to appoint the form of the common seal 
herein before granted, and the same to alter, break 
and remake at their discretion, and also in like manner 
to appoint such office or officers as they shall stand in 
need of, always provided that the rector of the said 
church for the time being, shall have the sole power 
of nominating and appointing the clerk to assist 
him in performing divine service, as also the sexton; 
anything herein before contained to the contrary 



St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 

notwithstanding, which clerk and sexton shall hold 
and enjoy their respective offices during the will and 
pleasure of the rector of the said Church for the time 
being. 

And whereas there hath not yet been any minister 
presented or inducted into the said church, our royal 
will and pleasure therefore is, that until the said 
church shall be supplied with a minister of the Church 
of England as by law established, as is herein after 
mentioned, and also in case of every avoidance of the 
said church thereafter, either by the death of the 
rector thereof or otherwise, that the powers and au- 
thorities vested in the rector, church-wardens and 
vestrymen in vestry met as above mentioned, shall 
until the said church be legally supplied with another 
incumbent, vest in and be executed by the church- 
wardens of the said church for the time being, togeth- 
er with the vestrymen of S. Peter's Church, in the 
Manor of Cortland t, near Peekskill; provided always, 
the concurrence and consent of the major number of 
the whole vestrymen of the said church for the time 
being to be had in every thing that shall in such cases 
be done by virtue thereof. 

And we do by these presents, for us, our heirs and 
successors, give and grant that the patronage and 
advowson of the said church, and the right of pre- 
sentation thereto, shall forever thereafter belong to 
and appertain, and is hereby vested in the church- 
wardens and vestrymen of the said church for the 
time being, or the majority of them forever, whereof 
one church-warden shall always be one. 

And further we do by these presents, for us, our 
heirs and successors, give and grant unto the rector 
and members of S. Peter's Church, in the Manor of 
Cortlandt, near Peekskill, and their successors for 
ever, that this our present grant shall be deemed, 
adjudged and construed in all cases most favorably, 



30 The History of St. Philip's Church 

and for the best benefit and advantage of the said 
rector and members of S. Peter's Church, in the Man- 
or of Cortlandt, near Peekskill, and that this our 
present grant being entered on record, as is herein- 
after particularly expressed, shall be good and effec- 
tual in the law to all intents, constructions and pur- 
poses whatsoever, against us, our heirs and success- 
ors, according to the true intent and meaning herein 
before declared, notwithstanding the non-reciting, or 
mis-recital, not naming, or mis-naming any of the 
aforesaid franchises, privileges, immunities, offices, 
or other the premises, or any of them; and although 
no writ of ad quod damnum or other writs, inquisitors 
or penalties hath or have been, upon this account, 
had made, issued or prosecuted. To have and to 
hold, all and singular, the privileges, liberties, advan- 
tages and immunities hereby granted or meant, 
mentioned or intended so to be, unto them the said 
rector and members of S. Peter's Church, in the 
Manor of Cortlandt, near Peekskill, and to their 
successors for ever. In testimony whereof we have 
caused these our letters to be made patent, and the 
great seal of our said province to be hereunto affixed, 
and the same to be entered upon record in our Sec- 
retary's office in our city of New York, in one of the 
book of patents there remaining. 

Witness our said trusty and well beloved Cad- 
wallader Colden, Esq., our said Lieutenant Governor, 
and Commander-in-Chief of our said province of 
New York, and the territories depending thereon in 
America, at our Fort in our City of New York, by and 
with the advice and consent of our Council for our 
said province, the 18th day of August in the year of 
our Lord, 1770, and of our reign the 10th. A 

a Book of Patents, Albany. 



St Peter's Church and St Philip's Chapel 31 

The first Vestry of the Parish, constituted by the 
Charter, was: 

CHURCH WARDENS, 

Beverly Robinson 
Charles Moore. 

VESTRYMEN, 

Jeremiah Drake, Caleb Ward, John Johnson, 
Joshua Nelson, Thomas Davenport and Henry 
Purdy. 

The parish is in the singularly fortunate position of 
having a complete record of the minutes of the Vestry 
from Colonial times down to the present day. The only 
break is from 1775 to 1790, when, owing to the Revolu- 
tion and its aftermath, no Vestry meetings were held. 
Into an old oblong brown book the minutes from 1770 
until 1795 were copied by Caleb Morgan with this en- 
dorsement : 

The before mentioned record is copied from the 
original by me 

Caleb Morgan 
February 13th, 1795. 

and from that time onward the minutes are in the hand- 
writing of the different Clerks of the Vestry. 

It will be interesting to reproduce exactly the first 
minutes of the Vestry : 

S. Peters Church in the Manor of Cortlandt 

Near Peeks Kill. 1 

Sep* 1st, 1770 at a meeting of the Church Wardens 

1 In quotations from the minutes and other documents the exact 
spelling, etc., has been copied. 



The History of St . P hilip 9 s Church 

and Vestry of St Peters Church in the Manor of 
Cortlandt near Peeks Kill 



Present Mr Robinson 

Mr Charles Moore 

Mr Davenport 
Mr J n Johnson 
Mr Caleb Ward 
Mr J Nelson 
Mr Jerem h Drake 



Wardens 



Vest r 
men 



The Charter being read they Proceeded to Chuse 
Mr John Johnson Clark for the present year. 

Resolved to Sett a Subscription of foot in favour 
of Mr John Doty and endeavour to settle him as our 
Minester. 

Resolved that altho the Subscriptions mentioned 
to be paid yearly, yet all those who shall Subscribe 
to y e Support of a minester upon their moving out 
of the place Shall be Discharge d from their Subscrip- 
tion. 

Resolved that in order to encorage y e Inhabitants 
on the Lower part of Philips Patten 1 to Subscribe to 
the yearly maintenance of a Minester that he shall 
officiate, one half of his time in the Neighbourhood of 
Jacob Mandev 62 on every other Sunday. 

Resolved that the transactions of this present meet- 
ing shall be read over at our next meeting, and at 
every meeting the transactions and Proceedings of the 
Vestry shall be read over. 

The Coppy of y e Charter to be kept with the Clark, 
then adjourned to Monday 17th instant at 10 o'clock 
in the four noon. 

Mr. Doty, chosen as the "Minester," had served the 

1 Now Putnam County. 

2 Mandeville. 















fie ■ \ 1 









'/>&. 



Sh/& 



i /uAjtr/1 1/^,7 <r?i ycr/y??/*,^? 14^/ <d{ 

Air?i *J e-iL s t,Wi rtej£ ,' — ■ , - — - 



•M 



MINUTES OF FIRST VESTRY MEETING 

1770 



St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 33 

Church as a lay-reader during the summer of 1770, and, 
as he was a candidate for the Ministry, the thoughts of 
the Vestry naturally turned to him as the first Rector. 
The Vestry drew up a letter and a petition addressed to 
the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign 
Parts, of which the following are copies: 

The Church Wardens and Vestry of St. Peter's Church 
to the Secretary : 

Peekskill, in the Province of New York, 
in America 

October 15th, 1770. 
Rev Sir, 

Permit us, as wardens and vestrymen for S. Peter's 
Church, to address you, and acquaint you with the 
steps we have taken for settling a Church, according 
to the established Church of England, and to solicit 
your assistance and interest with the Venerable So- 
ciety, that we may be so happy as to be patronized 
by them, and obtain their charitable assistance to- 
wards maintaining a minister. 

It is about four years since a few of us first attempt- 
ed to begin the building of a Church in the manor of 
Cortlandt, near Peekskill, in the county of West- 
chester, and on the 9th day of August, 1767, had got 
it so far finished, as to get the favor of the worthy and 
Rev. Dr. Ogilvie of New York, to open and conse- 
crate it, which he did, calling it S. Peter's Church; 
and have since (tho' not yet completely finished) 
made it a decent and comfortable building for per- 
forming divine worship in. 

The next step we took, to enable us further to pro- 
secute our design, was to apply to his honor Lieut. 
Governor Colden for a Charter, which he was pleased 
to grant us. Being so far advanced in our undertak- 
ing, Mr John Doty, a gentleman educated at King's 



34 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

College in New York, offered himself as a candidate 
for our Church, and has performed divine service for 
us most part of last summer; and has given such general 
satisfaction, that we have unanimously agreed to give 
him a call as soon as he is properly ordained, and 
authorized to perform the office of a minister. And 
as we are well acquainted with his moral life and con- 
versation, we beg leave to recommend him to the 
Venerable Society as a person worthy of that sacred 
function, and don't doubt but he will have ample 
testimonials from the worthy clergy of New York, 
of his education and abilities. We send, by Mr. Doty, 
our petition to the Venerable Society, a copy of our 
Charter and of our subscription paper for his mainte- 
nance, which amounts to £6 1-1 5s New York cur- 
rency annually; but as many of the subscribers are 
very poor, and some of them we apprehend will be 
necessarily obliged to leave the neighbourhood, we 
fear it will be difficult to collect some of the subscrip- 
tions, but that Mr. Doty may be sure of receiving 
something, we have given our bond to the Rev. Dr. 
Auchmuty,t as trustee for the Society, obliging us to 
pay annually to Mr Doty the sum of £40 currency 
during his continuance amongst us, as our minister, 
and if the whole subscriptions are received it is all to 
be paid to him. The Church is in a thickly settled 
country, (tho' no kind of public worship is established 
in the neighbourhood) yet at present there are but 
very few that profess to be of the Church of England, 
which makes it fall very heavy upon those few, so 
heavy, that we could not have gone thro' with our un- 
dertaking but by entering into an agreement with the 
people on the lower end of Philipse's upper patent,* in 
the county of Dutchess, that if they would join in the 

f Rector of Trinity Church, New York. 
* Now known as Garrison. 



St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 35 

building of St. Peter's Church, and in the subscription 
for the support of the minister, that when we ob- 
tained a missionary he should be settled for both plac- 
es, so as to make one congregation of the whole (we 
wish we could say parish for the number) to preach 
every other Sunday at the house of Jacob Mandeville, 
till such time as we could build a Church in that 
neighbourhood, so that we humbly request, if we are 
so happy as to gain the Venerable Society's assistance 
and protection, that Mr Doty may be settled by them 
as their missionary for both the above mentioned 
places. The Churches will be not more than eight 
miles asunder. It would give us great pleasure if we 
could inform the Venerable Society of our having a 
glebe and parsonage house provided, but that we are 
sorry to say is not yet accomplished. The people 
that make up our congregation are so very poor, that 
we have been discouraged from attempting to pur- 
chase a piece of land for that use. But we can never- 
theless assure the Venerable Society, that from the 
gracious offer of Mr Beverly Robinson, we have not 
the least doubt of having a very good glebe provided 
within the year. For a more particular account of 
the manner in which we expect to obtain the glebe, we 
must beg leave to refer you to Mr. Doty, who is well 
acquainted with every circumstance relating thereto. 
We are with the greatest esteem and respect, Rev. 
Sir, 

your most obedient humble servants, 

Beverly Robinson,) ^, , , 
^v i *,r f Churchwardens. 

Charles Moore J 

For themselves and the rest of the vestry of St. 
Peter's Church. 1 

1 New York MSS. Fulham Archives, Vol. II, p. 524-6 (Hawks). 



36 The Hist ory of St. Philip 9 s Church 

The petition ran thus : 

To the Venerable Society for the Propagation of the 

Gospel in Foreign Parts. 

The Petition of the Wardens and Vestry of St. Peter's 

Church, in the Manor of Cortlandt, near Peekskill, 

in the County of Westchester and Province of New 

York in America. 

Humbly sheweth, 

That your petitioners, in conjunction with the rest 
of the people who form the congregations of the 
Churches aforesaid, having for some time labored 
under the lamentable circumstance of not enjoying 
an opportunity of publickly worshipping God in the 
decent and solemn order of the established Church of 
England, whose evangelical doctrine and discipline 
they profess and admire; and being convinced of how 
great utility such a sacred establishment would be, 
the County being thickly inhabited and almost en- 
tirely destitute of every kind of public worship, to- 
wards promoting the salvation of many souls and the 
prosperity of the Church of Christ have (tho' at pres- 
ent but few in number) been at the expense of build- 
ing a neat and convenient Church, for which they 
have received a charter from his Honour Lieut. Gov- 
ernor Colden. That being well satisfied of the char- 
acter and abilities of Mr John Doty, a gentleman ed- 
ucated at King's College, they have unanimously giv- 
en him a call and agreed, when he shall be properly 
ordained by his Lordship the Bishop of London, or 
any other English Bishop appointed for that purpose, 
to receive him as their minister for the said St. Peter's 
Church, and also for the neighbourhood of Jacob 
Mandeville, in the lower end of Philipse's patent, in 
Dutchess County, where it is intended to build 
another Church to be united as one congregation, 
and that they have cheerfully subscribed to the 
amount of £6 1-1 5s New York currency, towards sup- 



St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 37 

porting him as such. But sensible that such a sum is 
not sufficient for that purpose, and being well assured 
of the benevolence and generosity of the Venerable 
Society, whose readiness on all occasions, as far as pos- 
sible to favor attempts of this nature has ever been 
deservedly admired, they take the liberty humbly to 
pray that they will appoint Mr Doty their missionary 
to the aforesaid places, and to grant him such part of 
their bounty as they shall think proper. 

Your petitioners humbly beg leave to recommend 
to your favorable notice the infant state of St. 
Peter's Church, and to assure you that we shall ever 
esteem it a singular honour and happiness to be in 
any degree patronized by the Society. May heaven 
ever smile upon and bless your laudible endeavours to 
promote the glory of God; and at the great day of 
accounts crown all your labours here with everlasting 
happiness. 

Sealed by order of the Vestry, this 15th day of 
October, 1770. 

John Johnson, Clerk. 1 

Lest the language of the letter and petition to the Ven- 
erable Society should seem almost servile it might be well 
to recall that this Society provided for the spiritual needs 
of the American Colonies for more than seventy years. 
Those Colonies were under the ecclesiastical direction of 
the Bishop of London, and in 1696 the Rev. Dr. Bray was 
sent out from England to examine and report on the 
state of the Church. He found widespread spiritual 
destitution, and on his return to London he organized 
the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign 
Parts, known as the S. P. G. In 1702 that Society sent 
its first two missionaries, George Keith and Patrick 

1 New York MSS. Fulham Archives, Vol. II, p. 526-7 (Hawks). 



38 The History of St. P hilip 9 s Church 

Gordon, to America, and from that year until 1785 her 
gifts of men and means were almost the sole hope of the 
Colonial Church. 

At one of the earliest meetings of the Vestry it was 
agreed that "the Common Seal of ye Corporation be a 
Dove with an Olive Branch in his mouth." The in- 
scription around the Seal is "Seal of St. Peter's Church 
and St. Philip's Chapel, New York." 

When the Rev. John Doty returned in 1771 from his 
ordination in England the parsonage was not yet built, 
and he was hospitably entertained by Beverly Robinson. 
On March 23rd, 1772, the Vestry met and passed this 
laconic resolution: "Unanimously agreed to go and 
build Mr. Doty a house." An agreement was entered into 
with Jerediah Frost "to git the timber, draw the same, the 
boards and other materials which he may want for the said 
house. To do all the Carpenters and Joyners work, and 
paint and glaze the same for Seventy five pounds." That 
the house was built by special subscription is evident from 
the fact that in July Daniel Birdsall was instructed "to 
call on those Persons for the money they have Prom d to 
give towards Building Mr Doty's house and to account to 
the Vestry when required thereto." In September it " was 
unanimously agreed to Build a kitchen and Piazar adjoin- 
ing to Mr Doty's house on the North side, and the follow- 
ing persons say Dan Birdsall, John Johnson, Joshua Nel- 
son, David Penoyer and Caleb Morgan have agreed with 
Jerediah Frost and David Penoyer to do the carpenter 
work and have each of them promised there payment." 
Such was the first rectory of the parish which stood on 
the glebe farm, in the Southeast corner of what is now 
Philipstown in Putnam County. 



St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 39 

Hardly had the parish been established when the War 
of the Revolution broke out with most disastrous results 
to the United Churches. The material damage to the 
property was the least evil. The Rector was a Tory, 
and "a little previous to the War gave up his charge;" 
the senior Warden fought on the British side and lost 
alike his estates and his citizenship; the parish was 
politically divided; the churches were closed and the 
flock of God left unshepherded. There is no recorded 
meeting of the Vestry for fifteen years. 

In this extremity the few faithful Churchmen were 
sorely tempted to renounce their allegiance. In a peti- 
tion adopted by the Vestry in 1795 to the Corporation of 
Trinity Church the conditions during the War are set 
forth in simple but graphic language: 

This being the seat of the late War 1 they were nearly 
destroyed between the British and American armies. 
In consequence of the injuries we suffered both pub- 
lic and private, we were rendered incapable, for many 
years, of doing anything towards repairing them; 
during which time we were repeatedly urged by dif- 
erent Denominations to embrace their respective 
modes of worship and reconcile ourselves to their 
ministrations. But firmly attached to the Episco- 
pal Church, we could never be led to conceive it our 
duty to forsake its interest. 2 

Nor were the "Denominations" content with moral 
suasion, for a determined effort was made to secure 

1 St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel. 

2 Archives of Trinity Corporation, 1795. For full text of this Petition 
see Appendix. 



40 The History of St. Philip' s Church 

possession of both the church building and the glebe farm. 
Writing in 1793, the Rev. Andrew Fowler details an 
attempt of the Presbyterians to gain possession of St. 
Peter's Church. He states: 

Three or four years ago the Presbyterians made an 
attempt to take the Church and glebe by force; they 
called the Church by a new name "Union Church," 
and in order to carry out their schemes they chose 
one half of the trustees, as they said, out of the 
Church. The truth is they had once professed them- 
selves Episcopalians; but most of them have since 
proved themselves to be rank Dissenters, which the 
Presbyterians no doubt knew. 

It was not until 1790 that the parish had sufficiently 
recovered to reorganize by the election of a new Vestry, 
when the name of William Denning appears as senior 
Warden. Mr. Denning had purchased the house and 
part of the forfeited estate of Beverly Robinson. Steps 
were immediately taken to secure incorporation under the 
laws of the State of New York, and at the Vestry meeting 
of November, 1791, they "Did then and there According 
to our Proceedings, sine a Certificate according to Law, 
and appointed Jarvis Dusenbury to appear before one of 
the Judges and git it acknowledged and to have it re- 
corded in the Clark's office as the Law directs." 

On the 28th of December, the record runs: 

It was then agreed to enter on this Book that they 
was acnoleged, and recorded as a Legal Body on the 
Westchester County Record, in lib. A of Religious 
Society's Page 26: the 22nd Day of Dec r , 1791. 

The outlook was gloomy indeed. Beverly Robinson, 



St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 41 

hitherto the chief supporter of the parish, was in exile; 
other Tory members of the late Vestry had lost all their 
property, and Churchmen generally had so "suffered 
both public and private" that they "were incapable" of 
rendering material assistance. Both church buildings 
were in a ruinous condition ; the parsonage house was 
almost uninhabitable; and round the glebe "not a ves- 
tige of a fence remained." And to crown all, the parish 
was burdened with a debt of between three and four 
hundred pounds. 

The extent of the material damage suffered by St. 
Peter's in the course of the War of the Revolution may be 
gathered from an interesting document preserved in the 
State Comptroller's Office at Albany. The Highlands 
and the northern part of Westchester suffered most 
severely from the fortunes of War. * St. Philip's Chapel 
was stripped bare, and "S. Peter's Church was much 
injured" whilst the French troops who occupied the 
parsonage house left neither fence nor lumber on the 
glebe. No compensation was ever obtained for the 
damage wrought upon the property in the Highlands, 
but William Denning writing to Bishop Provoost in 1796 
says: 

The damage done to the Parsonage and Farm was, 
after the most assidious pains, taken for that purpose, 
recompensed. 2 

At the close of the War appraisers were appointed to 

1 In March, 1777, Colonel Bird with a detachment of British troops 
visited Peekskill and destroyed much valuable property. (History of 
New York during the Revolution, Thomas Jones, Vol. I, p. 177.) 

2 Archives of Trinity Corporation, January 18th, 1796. 



42 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

assess the damages, and a list of claimants and awards is 
still preserved. The damage to the farm was appraised 
at £300. In October, 1791, the Vestry gave power of 
attorney to one of their number, Jarvis Dusenbury, to 
receive the money from the State Treasurer. The docu- 
ment runs as follows : 

Know all men by these presents, that we Caleb 
Morgan and James Spock, Trustees and Caleb Ward, 
Warden for the Episcopal Church at Peekskill, of the 
Manor of Cortlandt in West Chester County and 
State of New York, have made ordained constituted 
and appointed Jarvis Dusenbury of the Manor afore- 
said our true and lawful Attorney for us and in our 
name place and stead, to ask, demand, sue for Levy 
and recover of and from any Person or Persons, what- 
soever, all and every of accounts put in his hand which 
are now due on account of said Church, and to settle 
or compound as to his own said Attorney shall con- 
ceive most for our interest, and on receipt of our just 
due, a full and sufficient discharge in our name to 

give — and one or more under him for the 

aforesaid to constitute and appoint and at pleas- 
ure to revoke, in a full and ample manner as we 
might do were we personally present. Ratifying and 
holding for firm all our said Lawfull Attorney shall do 
in and about Premise. 

In witness whereof we have hereunto set our hands 
and seals this 1st day of October in the Year of our 
Lord One Thousand Seven hundred and ninety-one. 



►Trustees 



Joshua Nelson 
James Spock 
Caleb Morgan 

Caleb Ward, Warden. 





^ ^ -1 V 



^ 




c 
< 

•— OS 
I— H 

o 



St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 43 

Six weeks later the £300 were paid to Jarvis Dusen- 
bury, who gave this receipt: 

Rec'd Nov 21st, 1791, from Gerard Bancker, Treas r , 
a Certificate for Three Hundred pounds — in full 
for the claim of a Religious Society in Westchester 
County for Rails &c. 
£300. Jarvis Dusenbury. 

The document is thus endorsed on the docket: 

Abstract of Vouchers Value of Firewood, Timber 

taken by the Army of the United States at different 

times. 

Beverly Robinson — A Religious Society. £300.* 

This money was used to pay the debt on the " improve- 
ments" purchased on the farm and the balance due on the 
parsonage, so enabling the corporation to secure the title 
deeds to the property "agreeable to the conditions im- 
posed by Mr. Robinson;" but it left the parish with 
two churches and a parsonage badly in need of repair, 
and congregations utterly unable to meet the cost. 

It is comparatively easy to picture material conditions 
of the United Churches during the closing years of the 
18th Century. At the Vestry meeting held on Easter 
Monday, 1795, in the extremity of their need, an appeal 
for financial assistance was made to the Corporation of 
Trinity Church. Part of this petition has already been 
quoted. 2 It ran as follows: 

1 MSS. of the Colony and State of New York in the Revolutionary 
War. Vol. L, Folio 94. (Comptroller's Office, Albany.) 

2 See page 39. 



44 The History of St . Philip 9 s Church 

We, the Wardens and Vestry of the Protestant 
Episcopal Churches at Peekskill and the Highlands 
beg leave to represent to the Rector, Wardens and 
Vestry of Trinity Church in the City of New York, 
the unhappy situation of our respective Churches. 

At length recovering ourselves 

in some measure from the calamities in which we were 
involved by the War, and anxiously solicitous once 
more of enjoying a form of worship so well calculated 
to inspire Devotion, by our united efforts we so far 
repaired our respective Churches, altho tottering to 
their fall, as to enable us to use them for the noble 
purpose of Divine Worship. Besides the difficulties 
above mentioned, our Churches were loaded with a 
debt of several hundred pounds which we have wholly 
and happily discharged. 

And now many reparations being essentially neces- 
sary to render them convenient, which we are unable 
to make, we beg leave to solicit the charitable and 
humane assistance of that Church in New York whom 
we consider as our head and upon whom the bounties 
of Providence have been showered down in rich pro- 
fusion — Could we by any means possess ourselves of 
about two hundred pounds for each of our aforesaid 
Churches, we flatter ourselves it would enable us, 
with our own exertions, to make the necessary repairs 
and to hold a respectable rank in the Church of 
Christ in this Land. Whatever that Church to whom 
we respectfully make this Petition shall see fit to be- 
stow upon us for the purposes above mentioned, will 
be very thankfully received, and gratefully acknowl- 
edged: and we, as in duty bound, should endeavor 
ever to maintain a just sense of the obligations we 
should be under for so timely and so truly needful aid 
and assistance. 

With the greatest respect we subscribe ourselves 



St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 45 

the Rector, Wardens and Vestry's devoted and most 
humble servants, 

SilvenusHaight| Wardens 
Caleb Morgan J 

Daniel Haight 

Isaac Davenport 

Isaac Mead 

Elijah Morgan Jr Vestry Men. 

William Douglass 

Smith Jones 

Harry Garrison 
Peekskill, 

Easter Monday, 1795 
Jacob Nelson 
Clerk. 1 

Whatever details of the parochial picture are lacking 
in the above petition may be filled in from a lengthy letter 
written in the Autumn of the same year by William 
Denning to the Rev. Mr. Hargill, then Priest in charge 
of the United Churches, and from a second letter a little 
later addressed to Bishop Provoost. It would appear 
that Mr. Hargill thought the parish, by a little effort, 
could increase his scanty support, and in combating this 
idea Mr. Denning explains fully their condition. 
Beverly in the Highlands, 

10th September, 1795. 
Revd Sir, 

It may perhaps not be amiss that I make a few re- 
marks to you upon the former and the present state 
of the Corporation of the United Churches of S. Peter's 
and S. Philip's, especially as from the frequent com- 
munications I have had with you on the subject, it ap- 
pears to me, you have been led to believe those con- 

1 Archives of Trinity Corporation, 1795. 



46 The History of St. Philip's Church 

gregations are able to do more than they really are. 
Thus stood matters (after the War) 
when a few friends met and consulted about repairing 
and opening the two Churches for the purpose of hav- 
ing the Gospel preached to the people. For this 
pious and laudable purpose a subscription was set on 
foot, and altho the people appeared zealous, yet so 
inadequate was the sum subscribed, that the burthen 
fell on a few liberal patrons. 

S. Philip's Church was decently repaired, glazed 
and painted: the Parsonage clear and under some 
small repairs. In this state our little fund was ex- 
hausted. We have had no further assistance than 
the Congregation, except from the worthy and pious 
Mrs. Ogilvie. The Congregations are unable to make 
further contributions at present. The people early 
anxious to have the Churches open, they have been 
gratified, but under very discouraging circumstances, 
particularly in their first essay of a preacher. 

The Poverty and general inability of the people 
still keeps those United Churches in a languishing 
state, and, I assure you, Sir, that I am of the opinion 
the interests of Episcopacy would be greatly promoted 
by their being a little aided. I believe $1,000, with 
what has been done, would put this suffering Institu- 
tion in very compleat repair, and then with your own 
exertions I am sure it would become a respectable 
branch of our Church, and be found to merit the 
Patronage and protection of our Reputable Clergy 
whose attention has been so often experienced by oth- 
er infant institutions and who do not as yet know the 
state of the Corporation in question. 

I have also to suggest to you that we have an Epis- 
copal school 1 in forwardness the completion of which 
depends upon further assistance. 

1 Probably the School at Garrison referred to in the Vestry Minutes 
of 1793. 



St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 47 

I am sorry to be obliged to tell you that there is no 
present prospect of any other or additional encour- 
agement to the Clergyman, so that the Farm as it now 
is, and the salary subscribed is all we have to offer, 
and you must be the best judge whether those are 
inducements sufficient for you to continue. You 
will however do me the justice to recollect that on your 
first application to me about those Churches I gave you 
no other encouragement than what the above state- 
ment would justify. I told you the parsonage wanted 
repair and the farm fencing, that the whole sum to be 
expected from both Congregations would not exceed 
from £75 to £100 per annum, this I believe, you find 
literally true. 

I do not however despair seeing those people one 
day better able to support a Clergyman and also 
seeing the Corporation respectable, and perhaps if it 
was better known, it would have some able advocates, 
for which purpose I have no objection to your show- 
ing this statement to whom you may think proper. 
I am with great Respect and Esteem, 
Your most Hble Svt, 

Wm. Denning. 1 

Reverend Mr. Hargill. 

To Bishop Provoost Mr. Denning adds: 

The people are too poor either to compleat the 
Churches or to fence and repair the Glebe. It is 
needless to mention the exertions that have been 
made, from a disposition to promote this Episcopal 
Establishment, they have exceeded expectations after 
being so long abandoned. The Rev. Mr. Hargill is 
the present preacher at a salary from £75 to £100 a 
year, which requires every exertion to compleat, but 

1 Trinity Corporation Archives, 1795. 



48 The History of St. Philip's Church 

it is increasing and with due encouragement will soon 
amount to a much larger sum. Mr. Hargill will, 
however, abandon those little Churches unless the 
house and farm can be put in better repair .... 
I conceive it a duty I owe to those poor people to 
request the favor of you, Sir, to lay this statement 
before the Vestry of Trinity Church. 1 

In recounting the benefactions of the Corporation 
of Trinity Church the Rev. Dr. Berrian mentions the 
following to the parish: 1 

1797 S. Peter's Church, Peekskill $750. 

1807 S. Peter's and S. Philip's 1250. 

1813 S. Philips Church in the Highlands 750. 

do For the Rector 250. 

A careful examination of the minutes of the Trinity 
Vestry shows the following entries: 

November 13th, 1797. Resolved that the Treasur- 
er pay the sum of £75 to the Reverend A. Lile being 
the amount of an Order in his favor by Samuel Ward, 
Clerk of the Vestry of the Churches of Peekskill and 
the Highlands, and that the said sum be in part of the 
Donation to the said Churches. 2 

And on February 6th, 1798: 

To the Episcopal Establishment at the Highlands, 
£300. 3 

Apparently, however, whatever donation was granted 
was not fully paid, as witness the following petition : 

1 Trinity Corporation Archives, 1796. 

2 Minutes of Trinity Corporation, Vol. II, 1797. 

3 Ibid Vol. II, 1798. 



St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 49 

Peekskill, May 10th, 1798. 

We the Church Wardens and Vestry of the Church- 
es of S. Peter's near Peekskill and S. Philip's in the 
Highlands beg leave to report to the Rector and 
Vestry of the Corporation of Trinity Church that 
they are at present Destitute of a Minister, that they 
have a convenient Parsonage House, and a farm of 
upwards of 200 akers of land which Farm is in want of 
fencing. That the abilities of the Parishoners are 
unequal to providing a sufficient Salary to induse a 
Person qualified as a Preacher to accept a Call for the 
Churches. It has therefore been contemplated as a 
very Probable mode of succeeding in so Laudable and 
necessary a purpose that an application be made to 
the Corporation of Trinity Church requesting direc- 
tion of the Corporation to advance the Church War- 
dens and Vestry of the before mentioned United 
Churches such sums of the Donation to those 
Churches as remains yet to be advanced, which they 
would put out on ampel security the Interest of which 
together with what could be raised by Subscription, 
would in their opinion, soon amount to the Desired 
Sum. The Farm is rented for the present year for 
£35. 

Pleas to Pay the Bearers, William Douglass senr 
and Daniel William Birdsall the sum of £400. x 

Joshua Nelson Daniel Haight 

Caleb Ward John Nelson 

Wardens. Thomas Henyan 

Elijah Morgan jr 
Danl Wm Birdsall 

Vestry Men. 

At times the Vestry did not find it easy to obtain the 
money which had been promised. In 1796 the Vestry 

1 Archives of Trinity Corporation, 1798. 



50 The History of St. Philip's Church 

drew an order on William Denning "for the sum of six 
hundred pounds he making himself liable for that sum to 
the Corporation of Trinity Church it being a Donation 
from them to these Churches." Two years later, how- 
ever, the sum of one thousand dollars "yet remains due 
from the Corporation of Trinity Church." Shortly 
afterwards it "was agreed that a letter should be sent 
unto the Corporation of Trinity Church of New York 
which was done for the Purpose of obtaining an answer 
for an Order sent them in May 10th, 1798." The letter 
was as follows: 

Peekskill, 

May 10th, 1800. 
Gentlemen, 

At a meeting of the Vestry of S. Peter's and S. Phil- 
ip's Churches on the 10th day of May, 1798, they did 
send you an Order for $1000 which order they have 
never received the money, and no answer thereto. 

We the present Vestry would esteem it a particular 
favor if you would send us an answer by the first 
Opportunity as we now wish to put the Churches in 
good repair and give someone a Call to Preach for us. 1 

Daniel Haight 
Danl Wm Birdsall 
Benj Douglass Jr. 
John Nelson 
Joshua Lancaster 
John Jones Jr. 
James Mandevill. 

One year later William Lancaster reports to the Vestry 
that "the moneys given as a donation to the Churches 
was not paid, and if a proper person was appointed the 

1 Archives of Trinity Corporation, 1800. 



St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 51 

money should be paid." Whereupon Mr. Benj n Doug- 
lass, Jr., was deputed "to goe to New York and Receive 
the sum of one thousand dollars and engage a Minister." 
His errand was fruitless. "Nov r 26th. Mr Benj n 
Douglass Jr. reports that he called on the Treasurer of 
Trinity Church in New York for the Sum of one thousand 
dollars the Donation granted our Churches and the said 
Treasurer could not pay that sum until further orders 
from their Vestry in New York, and Retained in his hands 
the Order given the said Douglass to lay before the said 
Vestry for their consideration." Another effort was 
made to secure the money in 1806, and a letter was ad- 
dressed to Bishop Moore. On August 29th, 1807, 
Trinity Corporation passed this resolution: 

That the further sum of £100 be granted to the 
United Churches of S. Peter's and S. Philip's towards 
payment for thirty-four acres of land lately purchased 
as an additional glebe, and that the same be paid 
with the £400 formerly granted for the same purpose 
and upon the like conditions as are expressed in the 
grant of that sum. 1 

It should also be stated that a further donation of 
$2,000 was made by Trinity to the building fund of the 
new St. Peter's Church at Peekskill in 1836-9. 

In view of the unjust criticisms lately directed against 
the administration of the large estate of the Corpora- 
tion of Trinity Church it may be well to record on the 
authority of the Rev. Dr. Berrian, that up to 1842, 
"the aggregate amount of the gifts, loans and grants 
of Trinity Church, rating their lands at the present 

1 Minutes of Trinity Corporation, 1807. Vol. II, p. 173. 



52 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

prices (1842), considerably exceeds Two Millions of 
Dollars, a sum more than equal, in the opinion of 
competent judges, to two-thirds of the value of the 
estate which remains." 1 

The materials bearing on the spiritual side of the par- 
ochial work are very scanty, owing largely to the fact 
that there were long intervals when it was impossible to 
secure a clergyman. 

The parish sent its first delegates to the Diocesan 
Convention in 1790 — Jarvis Dusenbury and William 
Denning who are accredited in the diocesan records as 
coming from "Peekskill and Beverly." 2 

Later delegates were: 

1792. William Denning and States Dykeman. 

1793. Rev. Andrew Fowler. 

1794 . Rev. Andrew Fowler and Jarvis Dusenbury. 

1795. William Duglass. 
1796-7. Rev. Samuel Haskell. 
1801 . Joshua Lancaster. 
1804-5. Harry Garrison. 

1806. Rev. Joseph Warren. 

1807. Isaac Purdy. 

1808. Rev. Joseph Warren and James Mandevill, 

to whom was voted twelve dollars for 
"expenses." 
1811. Daniel W. Birdsall and Harry Garrison. 

At the convention of 1792 William Denning 

certified that possession had been secured of the par- 
sonage house and glebe lands belonging to the 
Churches of S. Philips in the Highlands and S. Peter's 

1 Berrian's History of Trinity Church, p. 386. 
1 N. Y. Convention Journal, 1791. 



St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 53 

near Peekskill — that they had given a call to the Rev. 
Andrew Fowler and provided for his support; and 
that the people seemed much pleased with having 
the gospel once more preached and divers services per- 
formed according to the usage of the Protestant 
Episcopal Church. 1 

The first parochial report was made to the Convention 
of 1807. 

The United Churches of S. Peters, Cortlandt Town, 
and S. Philips, Philips Town, Rev. Joseph Warren. 
Baptisms, Adults 3: Children, 16: Total, 19. 
Marriages, 5. Communicants, 10. 

And in 1808 the report of Mr. Warren was — 

Baptisms, Adults 2: Children 16: Total 18. 
Marriages, 8: Deaths, 6: Communicants, 8. 

The first recorded Episcopal Visitation was that of 
Bishop Hobart in 1816 who reported to the Diocesan 
Convention, "November I visited the Congregations of 
Philipstown and Peekskill. ,, In 1817 the Rev. Petrus 
Stuyvesant Ten Broeck, who was then in charge of the 
churches at Peekskill, Philipstown and Fishkill, report- 
ed to the convention that "The congregation in these 
places have been in a depressed state in consequence of 
having been destitute of the regular services of a clergy- 
man for some time past, particularly, S. Peter's and S. 
Philip's which have been the longest destitute. They 
now appear to be reviving from their depression." 
He reports also : 

Baptisms in Philipstown, 

Adult 1. Infants 10. Total 11. 

1 N. Y. Convention Journal, 1792. 



54 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

In 1821 the Rev. Dr. Wilkins reported for the United 
Churches: 

7 Baptisms, 3 Marriages, 21 Communicants, and a 
contribution of $4.37 for the "Missionary Fund." 

As before mentioned St. Peter's Church was small 1 and 
exceedingly plain. As it stands today the door is in the 
middle of the South side of the Church and there is a 
narrow gallery at the West end and running down the 
South side; no chancel, but a small raised platform. No 
pews were provided; the people sat upon rough hewn 
benches. But it appears that, in the early days, the 
Vestry rented ground in the church for the purpose of 
erecting pews. On April 28th, 1794, the Vestry resolved : 

That Those persons who have taken up ground in 
the Church for pews Shall build from within Two 
months from Easter Sunday or forfit their Title to 
s d ground, and that we advertise the same imme- 
diately. 

By the year 1826, if not earlier, pew rents were charged 
at St. Peter's, for on the 22nd of December the Vestry 

Voted that Mr James Mandeville (by paying four 
Dollars and sixty two cents) have Pew No 5 in St 
Peter's Church in Cortlandt Town in exchange for 
his old pew. 

Voted that Pier 2 Van Cortlandt (by paying nine 
Dollars and sixty-two cents) have pew No 4 in St 
Peters Church, Cortlandt Town. 

Voted Mr George Fowler have Pew No 6 for which 
he has paid eight Dollars fifty Cents. 

1 On Saturday, February 27th, 1909, Mr. Stuyvesant Fish measured 
the exterior of the building and found it 28 x 36 feet. 

2 Pierre. 



St Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 55 

Both churches kept up the old English custom of a 
"Clark," whose duty it was to lead the responses of the 
congregation, and in addition, St. Peter's employed a 
" Chorister." In 1793 the Vestry resolved that 

Mr Caleb Morgan and Isaac Mead be appointed 
Clerks unitedly in S. Peter's and S. Philip's Churches, 
and that Gee be appointed Chorister in the Churches 
afore said till Easter Monday next. 

The first mention of a sexton is in 1803, when it was 
voted "that Thomas Depew is Chosen Sexton for the 
ensuing year." 

The six acres of land surrounding the church gave 
the Vestry a good deal of care. What was not used 
ior burial purposes, was rented and made to contribute 
to the revenues of the parish. In 1803 it was agreed 

That James Mandeville have the Church ground 
for three years for forty shillings a year, and that the 
said Mandevill shall not paster Hogs in the said Lott 
and that he shall do his best inDever to keep the pews 
in good repair. 

The following year Mandeville was "allowed twenty 
shillings for the plaster that He put on the ground." 
At the same meeting it was agreed "that the Church dor 
bee repaired and Lock put there on and Lik Wise Locks 
to the gate." " It wire" also " agreed that Tomy Curry 
have the care of the cees of the Church and gate and 
that the sade Curry shant Lit any cretters in to paster 
with out the permission of the Wardens and Vestry of 
sade Churches." Joseph Ferris was appointed "to put 
up the Division Fence Between the Church Yard of the 
Episcopal Church and the Baptist Church." 1 The 

1 A roadway now runs between these two churches. 



56 The History of St. Philip's Church 

following year the grounds were re-let to James 
Mandeville "for one year to Mow and turn in after 
Mowing young Cattle for three pounds pr year," and 
in 1824 he was allowed five dollars for mowing the grass 
on the church grounds. 

By far the larger portion of the minutes of the United 
Vestry are taken up with the problem of ministerial 
support. That support came partly from the glebe 
farm but mainly from subscriptions, and many and 
devious were the methods adopted to raise the money. 
Whenever a new minister settled a "subscription was sett 
on foot" for his support. For the purpose of raising the 
subscriptions the parish was divided into two sections, 
and collectors appointed for each. Thus in 1771 Bev- 
erly Robinson was appointed "to collect that part of the 
first half year's salary that is subscribed in Dutchess 
County, and Jeremiah Drake that part which is sub- 
scribed on the Manor of Cortlandt." When John Doty 
was called as Rector in 1770 a petition was addressed 
to the S. P. G. "praying their assistance in his main- 
tenance," and the Vestry entered into a bond with 
the Rev. Dr. Auchmuty, trustee for the Society, 
"obliging the Church Warden and the Vestrymen for 
the time being, and their successors to pay unto Mr. 
Doty annually the sum of Forty pounds, New York 
currency, to which Bond the Clark was ordered to fix 
the seal." 

What would now be considered a highly improper 
way of raising Church funds, a lottery, was exceedingly 
common in the Eighteenth Century. On January 4th, 
1772, the Vestry "Ordered that Mr. Birdsall furnish a 
ticket in the Delaware Lottery out of the money col- 



St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 57 

lected in S. Peter's Church, and that Mr. Robinson do 
furnish another in the same lottery out of the money 
collected in S. Philip's Chappell and that the said tickets 
be for the benefit of the said Churches, and that they 
both be marked or wrote upon in the presence of the Rev. 
Mr. Doty." 1 

How fared the speculation history sayeth not, but in 
April of the same year the Vestry took a deeper plunge 
when "It was unanimously agreed to sett on foot a 
Lottery for the benefit of S. Peters Church at Peekskill 
and S. Philips Chappell in the Highlands for the raising 
£360. The scheam to be for 1500 tickets at four dollars 
each. The whole to be divided into prizes from which 
15 per cent is to be deducted for the aforesaid churches." 

The Rector was instructed to go to New York "im- 
mediately in order to sett on foot the said scheame, and 
to engage such gentlemen there for managers and assis- 
tance as he shall think propper." In July Mr. Doty 
was again sent to New York "to forward the Lottery" 
and instructed "if a sufficient number of tickets cannot 
be reasonably sold so that the Lottery may be drawn, 
then Mr. Doty is desired to go to the Managers of the 
said Lottery and have it stopped, and the Patrons that 
have purchased tickets have their money returned to 
them again." Whether the lottery was carried through 
or no, we cannot tell, but no further mention is made 
thereof. 

The first recorded instance of collections made in the 
Church is in 1771, when it was ordered that "a collection 

1 The Delaware Lottery was for the disposal of land owned by 
Lord Sterling. The tickets were £4 each, N. Y. currency, or 46 shillings 
sterling, or 10 dollars. (Gaine's Weekly Gazette, March 23rd, 1772.) 



58 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

be made in Church immediately after the Sermon," and 
David Penoyer and Peter Drake were appointed to make 
the collections in the church for six months to come. 

In 1791 Mr. Dusenbury and Mr. Arnold were appoint- 
ed "to furnish the subscription roll on the part of St. 
Peter's, and that Mr. Arnold and Mr. Morgan to furnish 
the same on the part of S. Philips." It was further 
decided that the Wardens and Vestrymen begin both the 
subscription papers, but, adds the resolution, "it is 
hereby understood that the duplicate signing is designed 
to give equal encouragement to both, and that the pay- 
ment of one will discharge the subscription." 

In 1795 the Vestrymen 

met according to appointment at the Rev d Mr. 
Haskell's and agreed that the monies raised in s d 
Church on Sunday by way of contribution shall be 
considered as belonging to the Minister of the s d 
Church independently of all considerations, excepting 
on particular occasions, when mention is made in 
public of the causes for which particular monies are 
wanted. 

The system of keeping parochial accounts was primi- 
tive indeed. For many years there was no Treasurer, 
but in 1791 the Vestry "did then appoint Messrs. Caleb 
Ward, Caleb Morgan, and Sylvanus Haight treasurers 
for the temporalities of S. Peter's Church at Peekskill, 
and S. Philips Chapel in the Highlands, to receive all 
monies that is due or shall become due to the said Church- 
es, to keep and to hold the same until demanded by the 
Wardens and Vestry of the said Churches whomsoever 
they shall then be, and the above said Caleb Ward, 
Caleb Morgan, and Silvanus Haight do give a just and 



St. Peter s Church and St. Philip's Chapel 59 

true account of all monies which they shall or may receive 
into the aforesaid Wardens and Vestry of the above 
Churches." 

It was too admirable a scheme to be workable. What 
really happened was that when money came into the 
hands of the Vestry it was handed over to one of their 
number, and then a draft was made upon him as needed. 
Daniel Birdsall was directed "to take charge of such money 
as shall be collected, which is to be applyd as Shall be 
hereafter Directed by the Vestry." Men who were in- 
debted to the parish invariably paid by "Note." In 
1810 the committee appointed to "settle with James 
Mandevill" reported " a Balance due to the said Churches 
of Seventy three dollars and we have taken a Note 
payable to said Wardens and Vestry for that amount 
payable on demand." 

The Vestry in turn paid the Clergy by means of 
"Orders" drawn on these debtors, and sometimes the 
Clergy drew an "order" on the Vestry in favor of a 
creditor. 

Peekskill, 
29th April, 1811. 
Gentlemen, 

Please to pay Mr. James Mandeville or the Bearer 
Eighty five dollars on demand & oblige 
Your very H 1 Sev*, 

John Urquhart. 
The Wardens and Vestry 
of St. Peters Peekskill 
& S. Philips Highlands. 

The order is countersigned : 

Harry Garrison Warden 
Daniel Haight. 



60 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Here are two drawn by the Rev. Edward J. Ives who 
was Rector of the Church 1826-9: 

To the Wardens and Vestry of the Episcopal Parishes 
of Cortlandt and Philips town : 

Please to pay the bearer, Mr John Oppie, Esq. 
$15 and charge the same towards my services in the 
said parishes — 

Peekskill Edward J. Ives. 

11th Sept. 1826. 

The Second is for Board: 

To the Wardens and Vestry of the Episcopal Societies 
of Cortlandt and Philipstown — 

Please to pay the bearer, Mr. John Oppie Esq. 
$56 for board from the 6th of June to the 11th of 
Septr, 1826. 

Edward J. Ives. 
Peekskill, 

11th Septr, 1826. 

The endorsement on the back is as follows : 

Rec'd 16th Oct 1826 from the Vestry the payment in 
full of this acct by Mr John Currie's Note with in- 
terest for $85-70- the balance to be paid to the 
Vestry. 

It may be interesting to reproduce Mr. Ives' account 
with the Vestry eighty years ago: — 

March 23rd, 1829. Reverend Edward J. Ives Dr. 

To Cash reed of James Mandevill 

on three seperate orders 125- 00. 

To Cash Mr. Mandeville- Sub- 15- 00. 

" Frederick Philipse- Sub- 150- 00. 

" reed of John Oppie 111- 50. 

" of Jas. W. Moyatt- Note 40- 00. 

" of Daniel Haight per Order 25- 00. 



St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 61 

To Cash reed from Peekskill Subscription 120- 00. 

■ " General Van Cortlandt 10-00. 

* on Notes Mr Wiley 106- 00. 
To amount on Highland Subscription 1827 60- 00 

To Cash reed on Isaac Lent Note 28- 00 

" of John Garrison 1826 Lent 15- 00 

" on Mr Lent Note 50- 00 

" on 1826 Subscription as Recollected 36- 00 





891- 


50. 


To Cash of Daniel Haight for Wood 






cut off the Farm 1829 


39- 


71 


To Cash my Subscription I. G. 


5- 


00 


1830 






March 8th 






To Cash of F. P. Gouverneur on James 






Mandevill Note 


50- 


00. 


To No 1 Note by Order Vestry 


65- 


00. 


To Cash of F. P. Gouverneur S. 


50- 


00 


" " John Garrison 


78- 00 


To Cash Isaac Faurst Paint Church 


3- 


00. 


" John F. Haight 


2- 


00. 


To Daniel Haight - Subscription 


6- 


00 


To Henry Garrison do 


10- 00 


To Cash lent by John Garrison 


2- 


00 


of Pierre Van Cortlandt 


5- 


00 


John Warren's subscription 






paid to Frederick Philipse Esq. 


4- 


00 


1830 






May 19th 






To 1 Note signed by F. Philipse, 






Harry Garrison & Daniel Haight 


45- 


00. 


To 1 do do 


61- 


40 


To be paid by Peekskill Committee 


183- 


39. 



$1500- 00 



The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 



CONTRA CR 




1826 Credit by Service 


300- 00 


1827 do 


400- 00 


1828 do 


400- 00 


1829 Year ends - 29th May, 1830 




Services 


375- 00 


Cr by Interest allowed 


25- 00 




$1500- 00 



In the early days of the parish it was the custom to 
compensate members of the Vestry for services rendered 
to the Church. Here are a few items culled at random 
from the records: 

1771 Ordered that £3.0.0. a year be paid to 
Jerediah Frost as a reward to him for officiating the 
office of Clark. 

The said Jerediah Frost was evidently the parish dark 
whose duty it was to lead the responses in public wor- 
ship. 

In 1774 Peter Drake and Joshua Nelson, who were 
appointed to collect the subscriptions, were allowed 
"for their trouble 7 per cent each." In 1801 Joshua 
Lancaster was paid £2.0.0. for going to New York, and 
twelve shillings for writing the lease for the glebe farm, 
and five years later the Rev. Joseph Warren received 
$4.50 "for his journey to New York." In 1809 Harry 
Garrison and James Mandeville, the committee for 
renting the parsonage, were allowed one dollar per day 
each. The following payments made to members of the 
Vestry are recorded in 1820: 



St. Peter's Church and St. Philip's Chapel 63 

Paid Harry Garrison for his services for 10 

days $15-00 

Daniel Haight for his services for 10 

days 12-00. 

From the year 1830 the connection between St. Peter's 
and St. Philip's was nominal. It was inevitable. When 
Daniel Birdsall built the first store in the village of 
Peekskill in 1764 it marked the drift away from Cort- 
landt. As Peekskill increased, Cortlandt decreased. 
In 1829 the Rev. Edward I. Ives reported to the Diocesan 
Convention that "A new congregation has also been 
organized in the village of Peekskill, who contemplate 
the erection of a new Church as soon as their pecuniary 
resources are enlarged." 1 That new church was erected 
in 1838. At the same time the other end of the parish 
at Philipstown was developing rapidly. Men of wealth 
and leisure awoke to the rare beauty of the Highlands 
and built their homes on the bank of the Hudson. 

So in 1840 St. Peter's and St. Philip's, after an associa- 
tion of seventy years, came to the parting of the paroch- 
ial ways, each wishing the other "good luck in the name 
of the Lord." 



1 N. Y. Convention Journal, 1829. 



CHAPTER IV. 

ST. PETER'S CHURCH AND ST. PHILIP'S CHAPEL. 
THE RECTORS. 

1770-1840. 

FROM the year 1770 until 1836 St. Peter's and 
St. Philip's were served by one Rector who 
officiated in both churches. 

At the first meeting of the Vestry of which we have 
record, held on September 1st, 1770, it was resolved to 
"sett on foot a subscription in favor of Mr. John Doty 
and endeavour to settle him as our Minister." On 
October 15th it was "farther agreed to give Mr. John 
Doty a Call as Rector of this Church when he is properly 
ordained." The Vestry then prepared a petition to the 
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel "recommend- 
ing Mr. Doty to them for our Minister, and praying 
their assistance for his maintenance," and also wrote a 
letter to the Rev. Dr. Burton, "Sec to ye Society giving 
an account of the state of our Church." 

John Doty came of a good stock. The original family 
name was "Doten" and they hailed from Boston, in the 
county of Lincoln, England. Edward Doten was one 
of the "men of the Mayflower" who landed at Plymouth 
in 1620. Jabez, the son of Isaac Doten and Mary 
Faunce, was born at Plymouth, Massachusetts, on 
January 1st, 1716. He married Mary Ann Price of 
New York, daughter of a lieutenant in the Queen's 



The Rectors of St. Peter's and St. Philip's 65 

Fusileers. Jabez was the first of his family to leave 
Plymouth, and from that time wrote his name "Doty." 
On August 10, 1757, Joseph Harrop, mariner, of New 
York City, going on a privateering cruise in the ship-of- 
war called the "Stirdy Beggar," Captain Troup, "ap- 
points his trusty and loving friend, Jabez Doty of New 
York City, 'joyner,' his true and lawful attorney. 
Recorded in Clerk's office, New York City at the request 
of Mr. Jabez Doty, Joyner, June 28, 1762." 

The Rev. John Doty was the eldest child of Jabez and 
was born in the city of Albany on May 8th, 1745. A 
descendant of his says of him : 

While the paternal ancestors of Rev. John Doty 
were of the strictest Puritan stock at Plymouth, his 
mother was the daughter of an English military 
officer, stationed in New York. This union brought 
to him some means and good family connections, a 
conservative tendency in politics and religion, and a 
desire for culture, position and influence. He was the 
oldest son of his parents, and, 1768, entered King's 
College of New York City, now Columbia College. 1 

He left the college without a degree, in 1770, and dur- 
ing the summer of that year officiated at Peekskill and 
neighbourhood as a lay reader. On May 15th of the 
same year, he married, in New York, Lydia Burling, 
from whom he was subsequently divorced. His second 
wife (1819) was Rachel Jeffery of Boston, Massachusetts, 
who died at Montreal March 1st, 1860. 

There were no Bishops in America, and it was there- 
fore necessary for John Doty to proceed to England for 
ordination. Armed with letters of recommendation 

1 The Doten-Doty Family in America, pp. 155-7. 



66 The History of St. Philip's Church 

from the Vestry, he sailed to the other side, and on October 
23rd, 1770, he was ordered Deacon in the Chapel Royal, 
Whitehall; and on January 1st, 1771, was made Priest in 
the same chapel by the Bishop of Norwich. 1 

It would be interesting, were they available, to read 
the letters of recommendation which John Doty carried 
with him to the Bishop of London, who had the over- 
sight of the Church in the Colonies, but we are able to 
reproduce the documents which accompanied the ordina- 
tion. The candidate was first required to put his hand 
to the Oath of Conformity: 

I do declare that I will conform to the Liturgy of 
the Church of England as it is now by Law Establish- 
ed. John Doty. 

The Certificate of Ordination to the Priesthood was 
thus worded: 

by divine permission Bishop of Norwich to all 



to whom these Presents shall come or whom they may 
in any wise concern. 

Know ye that at an ordination holden by us with 
theAid and Assistance of Almighty God on the first 
day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand 
seven hundred and seventy-one — in the Chapel 
Royal, Whitehall — we did admit and promote our 
beloved in Christ John Doty to the Holy Order of a 
Priest according to the Rites and Ceremonies of the 
Church of England in that behalf published and 
provided. He having been well recommended to us 
for His good life and virtuous attainments and 
proficiency in Learning with a sufficient Title and 
having been also first examined and approved by our 
Examiner. In Testimony Whereof we have caused 
our Episcopal Seal to be hereto affixed. 

1 Two Hundred Years of the S. P. G., Vol. II, p. 885. 



The Rectors of St. Peter's and St. Philip's 67 

Duly ordained, two other formalities had to be ob- 
served before he could leave England and assume the 
rectorship of the United Churches. One was formal 
appointment by the Venerable Society as one of their 
missionaries and the other was a license to officiate in 
the Colonies, issued by the Bishop of London. In the 
library of Fulham Palace, London, there is preserved a 
manuscript, "List of Persons licensed to the Plantations 
by the Bishop of London from the year 1745 inclusive," 1 
where the date of John Doty's "License" is given as 
January 1st, 1771. It was worded as follows: — 

BISHOP'S LICENSE 

Thomas by Divine Permission Bishop of London 
To our beloved in Christ John Doty, Clerk — 
Greeting. 

We do by these presents Give and Grant to you 
in whose Fidelity, Morals, Learning, Sound Doctrine 
& Dilligence, we do fully confide our License and 
Authority, to continue only during our pleasure to 
Perform the Office of a Priest in the Province of 
New York in America in Reading the Common Pray- 
er & Performing other Ecclesiastical Duties, belong- 
ing to the said office according to the Form pre- 
scribed in the Book of Common Prayer, made & pub- 
lished by Authority of Parliament & the Canons and 
Constitutions in that behalf, lawfully established & 
promulgated and not otherwise, or in any other man- 
ner (you having first before us subscribed the Articles 
& taken the Oaths which in this Case are Required by 
Law to be Subscribed and taken.) 

In witness whereof we have caused our Seal which 
we use in this case to be hereto affixed. Dated the 

1 This list is printed in the Collection of the Protestant Episcopal 
Historical Society, 1851, pp. 107-120. 



68 The History of St. Philip's Church 

first day of January, in the Year of our Lord 1771. 
(Seal) Tho. London. 

It was also the custom that missionaries, before sailing, 
should wait upon the Archbishop of Canterbury to 
receive his "Paternal Benediction and Instructions." 
When John Doty did so he received, in common with 
other missionaries, the following written words of counsel 
and instruction : 

That they always keep in view the great Design 
of their undertaking, viz. To promote the Glory of 
God, and the Salvation of Men, by propagating the 
Gospel of our Lord and Saviour. 

That they often consider the Qualifications 
requisite for those who would effectually promote 
this Design, viz., — a sound knowledge of and hearty 
belief of the Christian Religion; an Apostolic zeal, 
tempered with Prudence, Humility, Meekness and 
Patience; a fervent charity towards the souls of men; 
and finally, that Temperance, Fortitude and Con- 
stancy, which become good soldiers of Jesus Christ. 

That in order to the obtaining and preserving the 
said Qualifications, they do very frequently in their 
Retirements offer up fervent prayers to Almighty 
God for his Direction and Assistance; converse much 
with the Holy Scripture; seriously reflect upon their 
Ordination Vows; and consider the account which 
they are to render to the Great Shepherd and Bishop 
of our Souls at the Last Day. 

That avoiding all names of distinction, they en- 
deavor to preserve a Christian agreement and union 
one with another; as a Body of Brethren of one and 
the same Church united under the superior Episcopal 
order, and all engaged, in the same design of Propa- 
gating the Gospel. 1 

1 Hawkins, Missions of the Church of England, p. 424. 



The Rectors of St Peter's and St. Philip's 69 

With such counsels ringing in his ears John Doty set 
his face homewards, and arrived in the Highlands just 
five months after his ordination. At a meeting of the 
Vestry held on the 8th day of June, 1771, attended by 
Beverly Robinson, Charles Moore, Caleb Ward, Joshua 
Nelson, Daniel Birdsall and Jeremiah Drake, it was 
"Unanimously agreed by the Wardens and Vestry that 
the Rev. John Doty be presented to the rectory of S. 
Peters Church on the Manor of Cortlandt near Peekskill, 
and ordered that the Wardens do deliver him the key of 
said Church and give him possession according to Law." 
It is further recorded that "Agreeable to the above 
resolve, the Church Wardens did on the same day deliver 
the key to the Rev. John Doty and possession of the said 
Church." 

Inasmuch as the Colonial Church was by law estab- 
lished it became the duty of the Vestry to present the 
Rector-elect to the Governor of the Colony for admission 
and induction. This the Vestry did at its meeting one 
month later, when the record runs: 

The Rev. Mr. John Doty Having Excepted the 
Call given him the Last Vestry, Whereupon it is or- 
dered that the Board Present the said Mr. Doty to his 
Excellency the Earl of Dunmore, Governor and 
Desire he may be admitted and Instituted as rector 
and inducted into the said St Peter's Church, and a 
presentation being prepared for that purpose and the 
same being read wars Signed and Sealed by all the 
Members present and is as following, viz. 

To His Excellency the Right Honorable John, 
Earl of Dunmore, Captain General and Governor- 
in-chief in and over the Province of New York and 



70 The History of St. Philip's Church 

the Territories depending thereon in America, Chan- 
cellor and Vice- Admiral of the same: 

We the Church Wardens and Vestry men of St. 
Peters Church on the Manor of Cortlandt near Peeks- 
Kill in the County of Westchester, in Communion 
with the Church of England as by law established, the 
true patrons of the Rectory of S. Peter's Church 
aforesaid within your government, in all reverence 
and obedience to your Excellency, due and suitable 
send greeting in our Lord God Everlasting to said S. 
Peter's Church as yet having never been supplied and 
to our presentation of full right belonging to our be- 
loved in Christ, John Doty, Clerk, to your Excellency 
by these presents, we do present, humbly praying that 
you would vouchsafe him the said John Doty to the 
same Church to admit him to the Rectory of the said 
Church to institute and cause to be instituted with all 
its rights, members and appurtenances, and that 
you will with favour and effect do and fulfill all and 
singular those things which in his behalf are proper 
and fitting for your Excellency to do. In testimony 
whereof, we the Church Wardens and Vestry men 
aforesaid have to these presents put their hands and 
seals this eighth day of July, in the year of our Lord 
one thousand seven hundred and seventy one. 

Beverly Robinson 
Charles Moore, 



Joshua Nelson, 
Caleb Ward, 
Danl Birdsell, 



Wardens. 



Vestry. 



The Minute of the Vestry of September 28th read 
thus: — 

The above written petition of us the Wardens and 



The Rectors of St. Peter's and St. Philip's 71 

Vestry affoursaid, Directed to the right Honorable 
John, Earl of Dunmore, the then Govn r of the Pro- 
vince of New York, praying him to admit, institute 
and induct the Rev d Mr. John Doty a Rector of St. 
Peters Church, being presented to His Excellency 
William Try on Esq re , who superceded Govr Dunmore 
as Cap tn Gen 1 & Gov 1 " in Chief in and over the 
Province of New York & the territories depending 
thereon in America, Chancelor and Vice Admiral of 
the same, His Excellency Did accordingly admit & 
institute him the s d John Doty, by virtue of certain 
letters of admishion & institution under the peroga- 
tive Seal in these words, to witt viz 

I, William Tryon, Esq., Captain General and 
Governor in Chief in and over New York and the 
territories thereon depending in America, and 
Vice-Admiral of the same, do admit you, John Doty, 
to be Rector of the parish church of S. Peter's on the 
Manor of Cortlandt near Peekskill in the County 
of Westchester in the said Province, with all their 
Rights, members and appurtenances. Given under 
my hand and seal of the Province of New York, the 
16th day of July, in the year of our Lord, 1771. 

The Vestry were addressed by the Governor in these 
words: 

His Excellency, William Tryon Esq., Captain 
General, Governor in Chief, in and over the Province 
of New York and the territories depending thereon in 
America, Chancellor and Vice-Admiral of the same, to 
all and singular Rectors and Parish Ministers what- 
soever in the Province of New York, or to the Church 
Wardens and Vestrymen of the parish of Saint Peters, 
on the Manor of Cortlandt near Peeks Kill, in the 
County of Westchester in the said Province, and to 
each and every one of you greeting: 

Whereas I have admitted our Beloved in Christ, 



72 The History of St. Philip's Church 

John Doty, Clark, to the Rectory of the Parish and 
the parish church of Saint Peters, on the Manor of 
Cortlandt, near Peeks Kill, in the County of West- 
chester, within this government, to which the said 
John Doty was presented by the Wardens and Vestry- 
men of the said parish, the true and undoubted pa- 
trons of the said parish, vacant, as having never 
before been supplied by any incumbent, and him the 
said John Doty I have instituted into the Rectory of 
the said parish and parish church with all their Rights, 
members and appurtenances observing the Laws and 
Canons of Right in that behalf required and to be 
observed. 

To you therefore jointly and severally I do commit, 
and firmly enjoyning, do command each and every 
one of you that in due manner him, the said John 
Doty, Clark, or his lawful Rector in his name or for 
him into the Reall, actual, and corporate possession of 
the said Rectory, parish and parish church of S. 
Peter's, and of all the rights and appurtenances 
whatsoever to the same belonging. And you in- 
duct, or cause to be inducted, and him so inducted, 
you do defend. 

And of what you shall have done in the premises 
hereoff, you do duly certify unto me, or other compe- 
tent Judge in that behalf when hereunto you shall 
be duly required. 

Given under my hand and seal of the Province of 
New York, this 16th day of July, 1771. 

WILLIAM TRYON. 

Still another formality had to be observed before John 
Doty could enter upon his benefice. The Church in the 
American Colonies was under the laws of England, as the 
Anglican Church was an integral part of the State, and 
the Rector-elect was therefore required to assent to the 



The Rectors of St. Peter's and St. Philip's 73 

Thirty-nine Articles of the Faith. His having done so is 
thus recorded in the Minutes of the Vestry of September 
28th, 1771: 

The said Mr. John Doty, having first produced a 
certificate to this Board, of his having, in the pre- 
sence of severall witnesses, declared his unfeigned 
assent and consent to the 39 Articles of Religion 
agreed upon by the Archbishop and Bishops in the 
Convocation holden at London, Anno Domini, 1562, 
— and having prefixed these to his Majesty's royal 
declaration, after which he was, by virtue of certain 
letters mandatory, under the Seal, in due manner 
Inducted into the reall, actual and corporal possession 
of the Rectory and Parish Church of Saint Peter's 
aforesaid. 

The form of assent, or, as it was called, the "Declara- 
tion of Conformity" was thus worded: 

I, John Doty, do hereby declare my unfeigned 
assent and consent to all and everything contained 
and prescribed in ye Book entitled 'The Book of 
Common Prayer,' and administration of the Sacra- 
ments, and ye Rites and Ceremonies of ye Church, 
according to the use of the Church of England: to- 
gether with ye Psalter or Psalms of David, printed 
as they are to be sung or said in Churches, and the 
form or manner of making, ordaining and conse- 
crating Bishops, Priests and Deacons. 

to which was also added assent and consent to the Thirty- 
nine Articles of the Church of England. 

The minutes of the Vestry make no mention of Mr. 
Doty's resignation of the rectorship of the united church- 
es, nor of the time of his departure. It is, however, stat- 
ed in the report of the Society for the Propagation of the 



74 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

Gospel for 1774 "That the circumstances under which he 
left his congregation at Peekskill did not raise him in the 
estimation of the Society, to whom his conduct, in that 
particular, hath been reported to his disadvantage, and 
as an act of ingratitude." What those circumstances 
were we have now no means of conjecturing, unless it 
should be the brevity of his service in a parish which had 
waited for his ordination and built him a parsonage. 
Obviously his offence was not a very serious one, for he 
continued a missionary of the Venerable Society until 
1803. He is recorded as attending a Vestry meeting at 
Peekskill on August 13th, 1773, after which his name 
disappears from the parochial records. 

Three days later the Rev. William Andrews, Rector of 
St. George's, Schenectady, writes from New York to 
Sir William Johnson: "My health has really suffered so 
much of late from constant confinement to a school, and 
from my attention to the mission, that I have, by the 
advice of Dr. Constable, been obliged to make an excur- 
sion abroad for the recovery of it. A principal induce- 
ment to undertake this, was the arrival of a clergyman at 
Schenectady, who kindly offered to supply my place, 
should I absent myself." 1 A little later in the same 
letter he adds: "This gentleman who now officiates in my 
room, is personally known to Colonel Johnson, and I 
believe would, if agreeable to you and the people, accept 
the Mission. He is a relation of Mr. Ellices. A person 
of good abilities and fair character." 1 This un-named 
clergyman was the Rev. John Doty. The records of the 
S. P. G. state that "At the request of the Church War- 

1 Documentary History of the State of New York, Vol. IV, pp. 305-6. 



The Rectors of St. Peter's and St. Philip's 75 

dens and Vestrymen of Schenectady, the Rev. Mr. Doty, 
a gentleman educated at King's College, New York, and 
ordained some time since for S. Peter's at Peeks Kill, is 
appointed to succeed Mr. Andrews 1 with the former 
salary for the space of five years; after which time, one 
half will be withdrawn, and the congregation be in a 
condition, it is hoped, to increase their contribution to 
his support." 2 

The first services of the Church in Schenectady were 
held by the Rev. Thomas Barclay of Albany in 1710, and 
until the erection of St. George's, about 1762, were held 
in the Dutch Church. Of the town in those days the 
Rev. John Taylor writes: "It makes a singular appear- 
ance, being built in the old Dutch form — houses in general 
but one story, or a story and a half — and standing end- 
wise to the street." In this place John Doty spent a 
four years' active but troubled ministry. Every Sunday 
afternoon he catechised the children in open congrega- 
tion, in addition to which he conducted a class for 
"twenty poor negroes." In one year he baptized more 
than one hundred infants, "most of them brought in from 
the circumjacent country, in which there are many poor 
families to whom he had occasionally preached." 

This admirable parochial work was disrupted by the 
War of the Revolution. In an historical sermon preach- 
ed in 1882 by the late Rev. Dr. Payne, he said of Mr. 
Doty: 

1 The Rev. William Andrews was of Irish birth. He was recom- 
mended to Sir William Johnson for the mission at Schenectady by 
Colonel Croghan and Secretary Banyar, and was ordained by the 
Bishop of London in 1770. He afterwards removed to Virginia. 

2 Report of the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel, 1774. 



76 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Not long had the new incumbent been proclaiming 
within these walls the gospel of peace, before the 
sounds of war were echoed from Lexington, Concord 
and Bunker Hill. The rupture between the colonies 
and the mother country was to try the souls of all, 
but of none more than the clergy of the English 
Church, who were sustained by the bounty of its So- 
ciety at home, and whose ordination vows would 
not allow them to disuse the liturgy, with the prayer 
for the king and royal family. Like many of his 
brethren, Mr Doty suffered between a sense of duty 
and the pressure of the times. He was arrested, and 
kept in ward for a while. On being released, he left 
for Canada; and divine service was suspended in the 
church during the remainder of the war. 1 

From various sources we can fill in the above outline. 
In his Annals of Albany Munsell states that St. George's 
library, the organ and a greater part of the interior were 
destroyed by a gang of Indians and lawless whites, and 
adds, "they even meditated the destruction of Mr. Doty's 
property; but they knew not the place of his abode, and, 
as none would inform them, he escaped their ire." Mr. 
Doty himself writes: "The Church had been on the 
decline for three years: two-thirds of the people only 
remaining, but those of decent deportment, and attached 
to the King ... So reduced were his people that 
he left in Schenectady only fifty-nine, exclusive of slaves 
among whom were sixteen communicants, and twelve 
catechumens." 2 

From the safe refuge of Montreal he writes on May 
30th, 1778 to the S. P. G.,— 

1 Pearson, History of the Schenectady Patent, p. 396. 

2 Quoted in Fowler's MS. Biographies of the Clergy. 



The Rectors of St. Peter's and St Philip's 77 

To avoid a long detail of the most il-liberal treat- 
ment he has received from his factious neighbors, he 
thinks it suffice to say, that after fifteen months inter- 
ruption of divine service, his people having suffered 
in various ways, and himself twice made prisoner, he 
found it absolutely necessary to retire with his family 
to Canada. To pay for which journey, and to dis- 
charge the debts necessarily incurred by him, through 
the deficiency of the peoples subscriptions, all the 
money he had, and could collect from the sale of his 
furniture was not sufficient; and his distress must 
have been very great had he not been appointed 
Chaplain to His Majesty's Royal Regiment of New 
York. 1 

Mr. Doty left Schenectady on October 23rd, 1777, and 
so great were the difficulties of travel, that it was nearly 
a month before he reached Montreal. 2 To the foregoing 
must be added a more detailed statement of his exper- 
iences made under oath, a statement the more valuable 
because it is typical of the sufferings of many of the 
colonial clergy who adhered to the cause of the king. 

At the close of the War of the Revolution the British 
Government was inundated with claims for compensa- 
tion for "losses and services" of the loyalists. Royal 
Commissioners were appointed to investigate and adjudi- 
cate upon the claims. For obvious reasons this could 
not be done within the confines of the United States, so 
the hearings took place in London and Nova Scotia. 
All claims had to be submitted in writing, and each 
claimant was required to appear personally before the 
Commissioners. These claims have been carefully pre- 

1 Report of the S. P. G., 1779. 

2 Stuart, The Church of England in Canada, p. 46. 



78 The History of St. Philip's Church 

served in the archives of the British Colonial Office, and 
they have been copied into forty-six folio manuscript 
volumes which constitute one of the greatest historical 
treasures of the Public Library of the city of New York. 

These volumes contain a wealth of material for the 
student of the Revolutionary period as it affected both 
Church and Commonwealth. Therein are found the 
claims of the Rev. Charles Inglis, Rector of Trinity 
Church, of the Rev. Samuel Seabury, then Rector of 
Westchester, and afterwards first Bishop of the 
American Church, and many others. Two of the docu- 
ments are of absorbing interest to the parish of St. 
Philip's in the Highlands — the claims of the Rev. John 
Doty and Colonel Beverly Robinson, the first Rector 
and Warden of the united churches. The proceedings 
in Mr. Doty's case read as follows: 

To the Honorable Commissioners appointed by 
Act of Parliament for enquiries into the Losses and 
Services of the American Loyalists. 

The Memorial of John Doty, Clerk, one of the 
Missionaries of the Society for the Propagation of the 
Gospel, and late Rector of St. George's Church, in the 
town of Schenectady &c, Province of New York, 
North America. 

Humbly Sheweth, 

That your Memorialist from the beginning of the 
late Troubles in America, adhered stedfastly to his 
Allegiance using his utmost endeavors to preserve the 
people committed to his care unshaken in their loy- 
alty; and especially from the Autumn of 1777 — to 
the Autumn of 1781 — faithfully discharged the duty 
of a Chaplain in one of the Provincial Corps in 
Canada. That besides the personal ill-treatment 



The Rectors of St. Peter's and St. Philip's 79 

he received from his deluded Countrymen, your 
Memorialist compelled to retire within the British 
Lines was deprived (for the most part) of his Living 
which he estimates at £80 Sterling per annum, to 
which your Memorialist adds the loss of 325 Acres 
of Land, an estate in fee simple situate lying and 
being on the South side of the Mohawk river, in the 
county of Tryon, and in the Township of Belvidere, 
which land, together with part of his moveable estate 
left at Schenectady, he values at £250 Sterling. 

That in point of Living £140 New York Currency 
the Par of £80 Sterling would go as far at Schenectady 
as £140 will extend here (London); for which reason 
your Memorialist finds it extremely difficult to 
support himself and his Wife (the companion of his 
Misfortunes) in the expensive Metropolis, where with 
much less than the sum last mentioned he has been 
obliged to remain ever since his arrival on the 
British shore. 

Your Memorialist therefore prays that his case 
may be taken into your Consideration in order 
that your Memorialist may continue to receive 
the small Annuity allowed to him since the Fifth 
day of January last, or such Aid or Relief which 
his Losses and Services may be found to deserve. 

JOHN DOTY. 

No date is attached to this Memorial, but it was pro- 
bably presented late in 1783, and in the February follow- 
ing Mr. Doty appeared personally in support of his 
claim. The official record is as follows: 

Feby 6th, 1784. 

Evidence on the Foregoing Memorial of the Rev. 

John Doty. 

Claimant sworn 

Says he is a native of Albany in the Province of 



80 The History of St. Philip's Church 

New York, but was brought up from his Infancy in 
the City of New York. 

Says at the commencement of the Troubles he was 
rector of S. George's Church in Schenectady — The 
first Step he took at that time was to warn the People 
Privately and used every means in his power to con- 
firm them in their Allegiance — He likewise as far as he 
thought right exhorted them from the Pulpit to the 
same Effect — This conduct soon drew upon him the 
Suspicion and Enmity of all who were of the opposite 
Faction — They did not molest him personally until 
after the Declaration of Independence at which 
time his Church was shut up — He was warned not to 
keep it open by Mr Wayne one of the Congress lest 
he should be troubled for it — Soon after this he was 
taken up and carried before the Committee of the 
Town and two young men swore they considered him 
as a person plotting with the Negroes against their 
State, and to destroy the Town: 
Claimant denied his being concerned in any Plott, 
but openly declared his Allegiance to the King. He 
was in consequence of this threatened to be sent to 
prison. He was acquitted of the Charge of Plotting 
to destroy the town and was discharged. 
Not many weeks after he was taken up again by two 
armed men as being a Tory, and sent off in a Wagon 
to Albany; when he arrived at Albany he was bailed 
by a relation who was on the Rebel side. The next 
day he, with the others who were carried down with 
him, were brought before the Committee where an 
Oath of Neutrality was tendered to them severally — 
He believes the others took the Oath but he refused to 
take any — He was however permitted to return home 
through the Interference of his Friends — He accord- 
ingly went back and staid at home till the affair of 
General Burgoyne, when from his Miscarriage des- 
pairing of relief he by means of his friends at Albany 



The Rectors of St. Peter's and St. Philip's 81 

obtained permission from General Gates to go unto 
Canada — The General offered him anything in his 
Gift as far as £200 a year — Claimant said he would 
consider of it, but begged he would let his Secretary 
make out his Pass, and immediately that he got it he 
departed unto Canada. He was appointed Chaplain 
to the first Battalion of Sir John Johnson's Regiment 
in which situation he continued till he arrived in 
England in the Autumn of 1781 — He had leave to 
come home for his Health — and he had business with 
the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel and he 
was permitted to act by Deputy 1 and he received 
the half of the Pay — the Regiment is now reduced, 
and his half pay is assigned over to a Gentleman 
in Montreal of whom he was obliged to take up Mon- 
ey, but in about a year he shall be able to clear it off, 
and have his half pay clear — It was £60 a year. 
He was appointed a Missionary of the Society for the 
Propagation of the Gospel in 1773 — and has hitherto 
received £40 a year, but he has lately had a differ- 
ent Mission given to him at Sorenne 2 which will pro- 
duce him £50 a year. He receives an allowance of 
£40 a year from the Treasury. 

The record further states that Mr. Doty produced his 
commission as military chaplain signed by Sir Guy 
Carleton, and also the deed of the land for which he paid 
£80. He valued the land at 13s. -6d. per acre. He 
further testifies that 

He lost by leaving behind him a Chamber Organ and 
his Library — He put the Organ in the Church for 
Security, and he values the Library and the Organ at 
£30 — and he meant to value his land at £220, and 

1 As Chaplain. 

2 Sorel. 



82 The History of St. Philip' s Church 

that the income of S. George's was secured to him by 
a Bond from the Church Wardens. 1 

On his arrival in Canada he was at once appointed 
Chaplain to His Majesty's Royal Regiment of New York, 
the sixtieth, and in addition to his military duties he 
ministered devotedly to such of the Mohawk Indians as 
were settled in Canada, many of whom had joined the 
royal army. Six miles from Montreal the Mohawks in 
1778 "built a few temporary huts for their families and 
. a log house for the sole purpose of a Church 
and a Council Room." There Mr. Doty ministered 
'to the whole assembled village, who behaved with 
apparent seriousness and devotion. " The record is still 
extant of how he admonished the Red Men to be faithful 
to their baptismal vows, and of how the Chief replied 
"that they would never forget their baptismal vows, 
nor the religion they had been educated in, and that it 
revived their hearts to find once more a Christian Minis- 
ter among them, and to meet together, as formerly, for 
the worship of Almighty God." 2 In June, 1778, he 
accompanied his regiment to Quebec, and a little later 
General Haldimand informed Sir John Johnson that a 
memorial had been presented by the inhabitants of 
Montreal requesting the appointment of the Rev. John 
Doty to the management of a public school. 3 The 
appointment was not made, and he sailed for England, 
accompanied by his wife, on October 23rd, 1781, on the 

1 American Loyalists, Audit Office Manuscripts, New York, Book 1, 
Claimants, Lennox Library, Vol. XLI, p 45-51. 

2 Two Hundred Years of the S. P. G., 1901, Vol. I, p. 139. 

3 Canadian Archives, Haldimand Collection, Letters to Officers of 
the King's Royal Regiment of N. Y., Series B, Vol. 138, page 125. 



The Rectors of St. Peter's and St. Philips 83 

Integrity with "a convoy of 60 sail," being allowed to 
retain his chaplaincy during his absence. 

In January, 1783, during a visit to England, Mr. Doty 
drew up a valuable statement on "The present state of 
the Church in the Province of Canada," in which he 
declares "The evening service of the Church of England 
is not performed : The weekly prayer days, Saints' Days 
are totally neglected: and the Sacrament of 
the Lord's Supper administered not above three or four 
times a year at Montreal, not so often at Quebec and not 
at all at Trois Rivieres." 1 Uncompromising Tory as he 
was, he adds that the Society "will not have the rank 
weeds of Republicanism and Independence to root out 
before they can sow the pure seed of the gospel, as was 
too much the case heretofore, in the Colonies, but on 
the contrary they will find a people (like the good ground) 
in a great measure prepared and made ready to their 
hand. The Protestants to a man are loyal subjects, and 
in general members of the Church of England." 2 

For this promising field John Doty "freely offered his 
services," and it was decided to make a "trial" by 
appointing him to establish a mission at Sorel. Sorel 
was then "the key of Canada," fifteen leagues below 
Montreal. Besides the garrison, which was "middling 
large," there were seventy Protestant English families. 
He arrived at Sorel on July 1st, 1784, and immediately 
applied to the Governor for a residence, provisions and a 
lot of land, and, until such time as a residence was pro- 
vided, he was quartered in barracks. The first service 
was held on July 4th, 1784, and was attended by "Dis- 

1 Two Hundred Years of the S. P. G., 1901, Vol. I, p. 140-41. 

2 Two Hundred Years of the S. P. G., 1901, Vol. I, p. 141. 



84 The History of St. Philip's Church 

senters, Lutherans and Churchmen." After four weeks, 
permission to use the Roman Church was withdrawn, 
and he applied to Major Johnson for the use of a govern- 
ment building. In 1785 he purchased "one of the Best 
houses in Sorel for fifteen guineas, and fitted it for a 
Church so as to accommodate above one hundred and 
twenty persons." The gift of a bell "encouraged them 
to add a steeple to their church." "The first Church in 
which he ministered," writes Canon Anderson, "was 
of wood, and it was originally a marine store, fitted up for 
divine service in something of church-like form, with 
belfry and bell." 1 This was replaced by the aforemen- 
tioned building opened on Christmas Day, 1785, when 
"thirty-two persons received the Communion." John 
Doty writes in his diary: " Completed the first Protestant 
Church built in Canada, and opened it for Divine 
Service." 

The following summer he visited Albany and was 
called to the rectorship of St. Peter's Church, which he 
declined in the interests of his work at Sorel. His 
stipend of £50 was paid by the S. P. G. and in 1786 the 
Government added an annual allowance of £100, to 
which were added grants of land, which in the course of 
time became quite valuable. From Sorel he reached out 
in his missionary labor to Montreal, where he ministered 
to a congregation of Germans, and to St. Armand, where 
'he had a serious and crowded audience, and baptized 
six infants and one adult." 

In 1793 he visited New York, where he is said to have 
received a call to St. Ann's Church, Brooklyn, as witness 

1 Centennial Sermon in the Church at Sorel by the Rev. Canon 
Anderson. 



The Rectors of St. Peter's and St. Philip's 85 

this paragraph in the S. P. G. report for 1797: "It is 
with concern that the Society has received information 
that they are deprived of the useful service of this worthy 
missionary, Mr. John Doty, by his removal to his native 
country to take charge of S. Ann's Church at Brooklyn 
in Long Island, in the Province of New York." 

There is, however, no mention of this fact in the records 
of St. Ann's, and in September of the same year we find 
Mr. Doty preaching before H. R. H. Prince Edward at 
Sorel at a notable Masonic service. 

In 1803 he resigned as a missionary of the Venerable 
Society, and removed to Three Rivers, where, on July 
28th, 1819, he married Rachel Jeffery. He died on the 
23rd of November, 1841, at the great age of ninety-six 
years, and was buried in the old cemetery where a simple 
stone bears this inscription : 

Sacred to the Memory 

of 

the Reverend John Doty 

who departed this life on the 

23rd of November, 1841. 

Aged 96 years. 

Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord. 

Mrs. Doty died in Montreal, March 1st, 1860. 
Writing in 1893 the Rector of the parish says: "Mr. 
and Mrs. Doty are still remembered by old residents of 
Three Rivers, who speak of them as devout and hon- 
orable gentle-folks, always bearing the dignified man- 
ners and the courtly grace of a bygone age." 1 

Nearly two years elapsed before St. Peter's and St. 

1 The Church of England in Canada, 1759-1793, Rev. H. C. 
Stuart, p. 109. 



86 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

Philip's secured a successor to Mr. Doty. At a meeting 
of the Vestry on September 18th, 1775, "it was unani- 
mously agreed to set on foot a subscription for the sup- 
port of Mr. Bennett Page during his preaching in S. 
Peter's Church, Peeks Kill." In all probability this was 
"Bernard Page," who was licensed by the Bishop of 
London to officiate in Wyoming parish, Pennsylvania, in 
1772, from whence he removed to the Province of New 
York. 1 A curious reflection upon him occurs in an 
advertisement of a lottery for a Church in Brooklyn: 

New York, March 31st, 1774. Many Persons 
having been misled by an opinion, that the Church 
proposed to be erected by means of a lottery, at 
Brooklyn, on Long Island, is to be under the minis- 
try of the Rev. Bernard Page, the public is hereby 
assured to the contrary, and that it will be a truly 
Orthodox Church, strictly conformable to the doc- 
trine and discipline of the constitutional Church of 
England, as by law established, and under the Rec- 
tor and Vestry of Trinity Church, in this City. 2 

How long Mr Page ministered in the united churches 
it is impossible to tell. The meeting at which he was 
engaged as minister "adjourned until further notice," 
and no meeting is recorded for the next fifteen years. 
During those years the Colony of New York threw off all 
allegiance to the British Crown, becoming one of the 
thirteen United States and the "Church as by Law 
established" ceased to exist therein. Families were 
divided into hostile political camps, and the Highlands 
were ravaged by the armies. Two-thirds of what is now 

1 Bolton's History of Westchester County, 1881, I, p. 132. 

2 Rivington's New York Gazette, Thursday, March 31st, 1774. 



The Rectors of St. Peter's and St. Philip's 87 

Putnam County, was sequestered from the ownership of 
Beverly Robinson and of his brother-in-law, Roger 
Morris. The people of the parish were scattered; the 
services were either suspended or held irregularly; and 
for several years there were no meetings of the Vestry 
and no settled minister. 

The record takes up the broken thread with the elec- 
tion of Wardens and Vestrymen on Easter Monday, 
April 5th, 1790, but no steps towards obtaining a clergy- 
man were taken till the following year when it was 
"Agreed that a subscription paper be sett on foot for the 
purpose of raising a sallary for a minister to officiate in 
the united churches of S. Peter's and S. Philip's." 
Richard Arnold and Joshua Nelson were appointed to 
solicit subscriptions at Philipstown, and Jarvis Dusen- 
bury and Caleb Morgan were appointed to "furnish the 
said subscription role on the part of St. Peters." It was 
further agreed that "the Wardens and Vestrymen begin 
both the Subscription papers now mentioned, but it is 
hereby understood that the duplicate signing is deemed 
to give equal encouragement to both, and that the pay- 
ment of one will discharge the subscriber." 

In November, 1791, the Vestry "did then agree to pay 
the sum of Twenty pounds for the suport of David 
Lamson 1 to services in S. Peter's Church at Peekskill and 
S. Philip's Chappel in the Highlands until the first of 
April next, and it is further agreed that Joshua Nelson 
and Silvanus Haight shall furnish him with the necessarys 
agreeable to a person of his station out of the above 
Twenty pounds." 

1 Probably "Lampson." 



88 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Apparently David Lamson's engagement was not 
renewed, for on the 7th day of August, 1792, the Vestry 

did then agree with the Rev. Andrew Fowler 
to officiate as Rector of the Church and Chappie for 
one year, and they do promise to pay him for his ser- 
vice the sum of seventy pounds current money of 
New York, and have likewise agreed with John Bash- 
ford for the house which he now lives in until the first 
day of May next, and to give him the sum of five 
pounds for the same, and they do further agree to 
put Mr. Fowler on the Glebe farm the first day of 
May next. 

Early in the following year the Vestry resolved that 
"the Rev. Mr. Fowler shall be inducted according to the 
mode of the Protestant Episcopal Church in this state 
now in use, with the Rectory of S. Peter's Church on the 
Manor of Cortlandt, and S. Philip's Chapel in Philips- 
town now in communion together and that the Induction 
into S. Peter's Church shall be made on Monday the 6th 
of instant January, and the Induction into S. Philip's 
Chapel when convenience will permit." 

The next year Mr. Fowler was re-engaged for another 
annual term at a salary of eighty pounds, the Vestry 
further agreeing to repair the house and build a barn. 
It was also arranged "that both parties do agree to 
give each party three months warning previous to 
leaving or dismissing." A little later a minute records 
a complaint of the Rector "that the church at Peekskill 
had neglected to discharge their part of the first half 
year's salary." 

In those days the growth of the Episcopal Church was 




THE REV. ANDREW FOWLER, M. A. 
Rector, 1792-1794 



The Rectors of St Peter's and St. Philip's 89 

not regarded with favor by the Puritans. It is a matter 
of public record that during the Revolution the Presby- 
terians attempted to take the church on the Manor of 
Cortlandt by force. Mr. Fowler seems, however, to 
have maintained cordial relations with his ecclesiastical 
neighbors, as witness the following correspondence with 
Rev. Silas Constant, a militant Presbyterian minister 
of Yorktown. 

Reverend Sir, 

It is a rule in the Church to which I belong, that no 
minister not even one of our own Denomination, shall 
preach at any time in our Churches without liberty is 
first obtained of the Rector — Nearly the same rule I 
suppose is observed among the Presbyterians or Con- 
gregationalists, and as I feel an inclination to preach a 
sermon in Crown Pond 1 within a short time, I therefore 
beg the favor of your Meeting House when it does not 
interfere with your own appointments for that pur- 
pose. A line in answer to this will oblige, 

(Your) friend and honorable servant, 

ANDREW FOWLER. 

to which courteous request Mr. Constant replied : 

Reverend Sir, 

I received yours intimating your willingness to 
preach in this neighborhood, and I shall note your 
direction and give notice to the congregation. The 
Meeting House will be opened without objection, and 
hope your appointment will be when I can attend, if 
week day, if on Sabbath it must be when I preach at 
Peekskill, 

Yours in sincerity, 

SILAS CONSTANT. 

1 Crompond. 



90 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Andrew Fowler was born at Guilford, Connecticut, 
on June 10th, 1760. He was the son of Andrew Fowler 
by his wife, Martha Stone, and a descendant of John 
Fowler, one of the founders of Guilford in 1639. 1 At 
the age of nineteen he entered Yale, a convinced Presby- 
terian, graduating in 1783, and receiving his Master of 
Arts degree ten years later. 2 

In the latter half of the Eighteenth century the burning 
question in religious circles in America was the nature 
and organization of the Church, and the point around 
which controversy raged most fiercely was the necessity, 
or otherwise, of the Episcopate. The fight waxed ex- 
ceeding bitter, and it produced an endless array of books 
and pamphlets. 

So serious a question could scarcely escape the atten- 
tion of the young student preparing for the ministry, and 
he had not far to seek for materials. In the year 1711 
an agent of the colony of Connecticut in London sent 
over eight hundred books, among which were the works 
of strong Anglican writers like Hooker, Chillingworth 
and Usher. These were in the Yale Library, and they at- 
tracted the attention of Andrew Fowler, who promptly 
sought permission of the President to read them. 

The request unwittingly revived memories of the dark- 
est day in the annals of New England Puritanism. Fifty- 
seven years before a little group of Yale professors and 
ministers, including Timothy Cutler, then President of 
the College, had studied those same books. Their 
studies convinced them that "they were usurpers in 
the house of God," and they announced their intention 

1 Smith, History of Guildford, Ct., p. 18. 

1 Fowler, MS. Biographical Sketches of the Clergy. 



The Rectors of St. Peter's and St. Philips 91 

of applying for Holy Orders in the Church of England. 1 
Little wonder that the President, with such memories* 
promptly refused the request on the ground that the 
books in question were "dangerous." Possibly the 
refusal stimulated the young student's desire; at any 
rate they were obtained elsewhere, and as a result of 
their perusal, Andrew Fowler joined the Church. 
For seven years he was a devoted lay reader. In the 
Autumn of 1779 he became a churchman, and almost 
immediately " commenced reading prayers and sermons 
under the direction of the Rev. Bela Hubbard at West 
Haven, three Sundays in five; and at New Haven in 1782 
he read prayers and sermons for the same Reverend 
gentleman two Sundays in five. These circumstances 
commonly took place in the same manner till he grad- 
uated, though at sometimes he read prayers elsewhere in 
his native State, he having the President's leave to do so." 2 
After his graduation he removed to New Rochelle 
where, he says, "I was principally engaged with a 
school." He found the Church in a distressed position, 
the churches in Yonkers, Peekskill, Rye and Westchester 
were closed, and some of them had been converted into 
military hospitals. Nor did the clergy escape. The 
Rev. Luke Babcock, Rev. Epenetus Townsend and 
Rev. Samuel Seabury were imprisoned, and the Rev. 
Ephraim Avery, of Rye, lost his life. The clergy were 
scattered; the churches closed and the flock of God were 
as sheep without a shepherd. England ceased to send 
out missionaries, there were no American Bishops, and 

1 Perry, History of the American Episcopal Church, Vol. I, p. 
24-7 ff. 

2 Fowler, MS. Biographical Sketches of the Clergy. 



92 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

consequently no ordinations. To Andrew Fowler the 
Church's extremity was his missionary opportunity, and 
he set out to gather the sheep again into the fold. 

He writes in his Journal: "At the close of the War I 
collected the congregation at Rye and at White Plains 
. Began at Rye the first Sunday in April, 1784, 
and at White Plains the Sunday after.' ' In 1786 he ex- 
tended his efforts to Yonkers, of which he writes: "The 
congregation had been broken up by the War, and was 
for sometime destitute of a regular pastor. The Rev. 
Mr. Babcock died sometime before the peace took place. 
I read sermons and prayers there with great pleasure, 
and never saw any other conduct there than that which 
was truly christian and pious. I could go there but 
occasionally, as I was then principally engaged as a lay- 
reader at New Rochelle." 1 In 1785 he was lay represen- 
tative of Trinity parish to the Diocesan Convention. 2 
From New Rochelle he removed to Long Island and 
served as lay reader at Brookhaven, Oyster Bay and 
Huntington. 3 

He was ordered Deacon by Bishop Provoost in St. 
Andrew's Church, Staten Island in 1789, and was ad- 
vanced to the Priesthood by the same Bishop in St. 
Paul's Church, Eastchester, one year later. His first 
parish was Christ Church, Oyster Bay. His rectorship 
of St. Peter's and St. Philip's terminated in the Fall of 
1794, and he removed to Bedford, N. Y., where he min- 
istered for one year. Removing to New Jersey, he 
labored at Shrewsbury, Middletown and Spottswood. 

1 Fowler, MS. Journal. 

2 N. Y. Convention Journal, 1785. 

3 Marvin, The Church in Suffolk County, p. 8. 



The Rectors of St Peter's and St Philip's 93 

A list of the New Jersey Clergy in 1798 shows him as 
"Minister of St. Mary's Church, Coles Town, on con- 
tract for one year only." 1 Philadelphia was the scene of 
his work for one year, and his last charge in the North 
was S. Michael's, Bloomingdale, then a country place on 
the far outskirts of the city of New York. 

In 1806 Mr. Fowler removed to Charleston, S. C, 
where the real work of his life was done. Writing 
under date of February 15th, 1807, to John Henry 
Hobart, then assistant minister of Trinity Church, New 
York, he says, "After I left New York the first place I 
went to was Wilmington, N. C. At this place I met 
with a Clergyman by the name of Walling, who is one 
of the most pleasant and agreeable men in the world." 
At Wilmington he was detained five weeks awaiting a 
ship to Charleston. 

We who live in the Twentieth Century, when the 
Church has reaped all the finer fruits of the Oxford 
Movement, have little idea of the laxity of faith and 
effort which characterized the Church in America in the 
earlier years of the Nineteenth Century. When Andrew 
Fowler went South he wrote to the Rev. John Henry 
Hobart: "I conversed with Mr. Walling upon the 
state of the Church, which he tells me is deplorable. I 
find that the idea of Episcopacy is but little esteemed 
among either the Clergy or the people. They think it no 
matter what religion a man is of, provided he be honest." 2 

The attitude was typical of the times. The era of 
aggression had not begun. The missionary motive was 
yet unborn, and the Bishops were content with small 

1 General Convention MSS. 

2 Hobart MSS. 



94 The History of St. Philip's Church 

achievement. The Church was apologetic. But "there 
was the sound of the wind in the tops of the mulberry 
trees." In the city of New York there lived and labored 
a man to whom the American Church was to owe a new 
life. John Henry Hobart — not yet a Bishop — was 
dreaming dreams and seeing visions of a Church alive to 
her splendid heritage. He was the apostle of a new 
catholicity which blazoned upon its banner the motto, 
"Evangelical Truth and Apostolic Order;" the able and 
intrepid champion of the Church of God. Under the 
inspiration of his leadership apology gave place to 
aggression. Wise before his time, Hobart foresaw the 
tremendous power of the printing press and used it to 
the full in the circulation of books and tracts expounding 
and defending the nature and organization of the Church. 
Andrew Fowler was in the fullest sympathy with 
Hobart's purposes and methods. In season and out of 
season he sought to open men's eyes to the glories of the 
Catholic Church, and he was shrewd enough to see that 
the most effective method was the circulation of Church- 
ly literature. 

His five weeks' enforced stay in Wilmington was used 
to extend the influence of the Church. He writes to 
Hobart: "I was invited to dine out every day while I 
was at Wilmington; it gave me a great opportunity of 
advocating the Church, and my friend Walling told me 
that I had been of great service to him among his own 
people." 

He adds, " I find that there is nothing wanting to make 
the Church flourish in this State but half a dozen good 
Clergymen and a few small tracts on Episcopacy, Bap- 
tism and the Lord's Supper." 



The Rectors of St. Peter's and St. Philips 95 

The few books he had with him were quickly exhaust- 
ed; "I had a copy of your Companion, one copy of your 
treatise on The Festivals and Fasts . . . these I 
was obliged to give away as some of my friends were so 
desirous to have them; it was a pity that I had not had 
many more. I wish, friend Hobart, that you would send 
me on a copy of the Canons of the Church, and some 
other small tracts which you may have it in your power 
to send gratis." How the literature was welcomed and 
used is seen in a further letter: — "Part of the pam- 
phlets I have this day forwarded to Dr. Walling, and the 
remainder I shall distribute among the members of my 
own parish as they stand much in need of them. The life 
of Dr. Johnson 1 1 have had six days, and it has been read 
through by nine persons already." 

When he arrived at Charleston he found that the 
parishes had already made their arrangements for the 
year, but under the date of January, 1807, he writes: 
"I am elected Rector of S. Bartholomew's Church, 
Edisto Island, the property of which I am to be put in 
possession of next Winter. The living consists of a 
plantation with sixteen negroes; the pew rents are not 
less than four hundred dollars, and it is the general 
opinion that the whole, including what will be raised by 
subscriptions, cannot amount to less than two thousand 
dollars." 2 

A later letter sheds interesting light on climatic con- 
ditions: "It is a great misfortune that the inhabitants 

1 The Life of Samuel Johnson, D. D., the first President of King's 
College, in New York, by Thomas Bradbury Chandler, D. D., 1805. 

2 Hobart MSS. 



96 The History of St. Philip's Church 

are obliged to leave here, and move off to some consider- 
able distance during the sickly months. As the heat 
increases, the country is filled with noxious vapors, and 
it will be ten o'clock in the morning before you can see 
the Sun for the fog." He adds, "I have never enjoyed 
my health better: I have eleven Communicants, and 
have baptized eight children." 

With Charleston for a center he was in "labors oft" 
for forty years. In 1811 he resigned the rectorship of S. 
Bartholomew's parish and became an itinerant mission- 
ary for the rest of his life. For some time he labored 
at Columbia, S. C, where he "collected a considerable 
congregation of the best and most respectable citizens 
who attended public worship with great devotion." 1 To 
him also belongs the distinguished honor of presenting 
the first class of candidates for the Apostolic rite of Con- 
firmation in the diocese of South Carolina on March 30th, 
1813. 2 

In July, 1821, Florida was ceded to the United States 
by Spain. The churchmen of Charleston immediately 
took steps to send a minister to St. Augustine in order to 
establish church services. In an interesting and valuable 
historical pamphlet 3 Mr. Fowler writes: "On Saturday, 
the 22nd of September, 1821, the Rev. Dr. Gadsen appli- 
ed to me, on behalf of the Protestant Episcopal Society, 
composed of young men and others, to go as their 

1 Dalcho, Historical Account of the Church in South Carolina. 

2 Southern Churchman, February 11th, 1869. 

3 A Short Account of the Rise and Progress of the Protestant Epis- 
copal Church in the city of St. Augustine, East Florida, by Andrew 
Fowler, A. M., Charleston, 1835. 



The Rectors of St. Peter's and St. Philip's 97 

missionary to St. Augustine in East Florida, for the space 
of two months, in order if possible, to collect and organize 
a Congregation in that place." 

Although the position had already been refused by 
several of the clergy, Mr. Fowler readily consented, and 
in less than a week was on his way armed with a Circular 
Letter of Introduction to Christians in particular and to 
the Community in general. He arrived at St. Augustine 
on October 2nd, only to find the city in the grip of 
malignant yellow fever, and the inhabitants panic- 
stricken. He was strongly urged not to land, but no 
personal danger daunted him. Without a moment's 
delay he commenced his devoted and untiring ministra- 
tions to the sick and dying. In the course of five weeks 
he officiated at eighteen funerals and baptized eight 
children. 

On Saturday, October 6th, he issued an address in the 
Florida Gazette: "The Subscriber takes this method to 
announce to the Public his intention to perform divine 
service, God willing, in this city on the morrow, at the 
old Government House. Service will commence precise- 
ly at 10 o'clock in the morning." The service was duly 
held, and the preacher "had a numerous, respectable 
and attentive audience." He returned to Charleston 
on November 9th. 

Amid his manifold missionary labors Mr. Fowler 
found time to make some notable contributions to 
religious literature. He was the author of An Ex- 
position of the Book of Common Prayer: A Catechism of 
the Church and An Exposition of the XXXIX Arti- 



98 The History of St. Philip's Church 

cles. The estimate in which these works were held may 
be gathered from the address of Bishop Moore to the 
Diocese of New York, in which he says, "October 14th, 
1807. Two hundred copies of Fowler's Exposition of the 
Liturgy of the Church, purchased by Trinity Church, to 
be distributed throughout this diocese." 1 

A. The other known publications of Mr. Fowler were: — 

1 . A Short Introduction to Christian Knowledge, designed particularly 
for the use of the Protestant Episcopal Church at East- Woods, 
Oysterbay. New York, 1792. 

2. Hymns. New York, 1793. 

3 . A Sketch of the Life and death of Mrs. Hannah Dyckman, King's 
Ferry. Danbury, 1795. 

4 . The Lessons of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States 
of America; . . . with an explanation of all the Sundays and 
the principal Holy-Days throughout the year. 

New Brunswick, N. J., 1798. 

Second Edition, Charleston, 1838. 

5 . A Form of Morning and Evening Prayer. Compiled for the use 
of an Academy. New York, 1802. 

6. Short Instructions for those who are preparing for Confirmation. 

Charleston, 1813. 

7. A Sermon, upon the word Amen, Revelation XXII, 21. Delivered 
in S. Michael's Church, Charleston, Feb. 7th, 1813. 

Charleston, 1835. 

8 . A Short Account of the Rise and Progress of the Protestant Episcopal 
Church in the City ofS. Augustine, East Florida. 

Charleston, 1835. 



1 New York Convention Journal, 1807. 



99 
AH 

EXPOSITION 

OF THE 

BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER, 

AND ADMINISTRATION OF THE 

SACRAMENTS 

AK» OTHER, 

RITES AND CEREMONIES OF THE CHURCH, fcc. 

ACCORDING TO THE USE OP TKE 

PROTESTANT EPISCOPAL CHURCH 

IK THE 

UNITED STATES of AMERICA. 



by ANDREW FOWLER, a. m. 

RECTOR OF CHRIST-CHURCH SHREWSBURY, AND CHRIST-CHURCH 
MIDDLETOWN, »EW-JERSEY. 



BURLINGTON, N.JERSEY, 
POINTED FOR THE AUTHOR, JBT S* C* l/STICX. 

1805. 

[COPY.RIOHT SECURED.! 



100 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

Andrew Fowler made a notable contribution to the 
History of the Church in America. 

Scattered in parishes throughout the land are materials 
of priceless value to the ecclesiastical historian of the 
future, and to that material Mr. Fowler added permanent 
value. At the instigation of Bishop Seabury he gathered 
materials for Biographical Sketches of the Clergy, 1 and twice 
walked from Charleston to Connecticut in search of ma- 
terials. Writing to the Rev. Edmund Rutledge, a pro- 
fessor in the University of Pennsylvania, he says: "I have 
long since wished to see some Memoirs published of our 
Clergy, who are now dead and gone, and such indeed 
was my desire for it, that I actually made a considerable 
number of sketches for that purpose. On this occasion 
I applied to my brethren throughout these States, and to 
many other members of our Church, but with little 
success." 

Those persons who have been so ready to believe that 
the early clergy were men of loose morals would do well 
to weigh the testimony of this investigator: "I found 
the names of more than one thousand ministers of our 
Communion before 1320, the most of whom are now 
dead, and have left behind them a good character. In- 
deed I found less bad characters than I had been led to 
expect." 

In the same letter he adds: "I have often thought, 
and still do think, that a weekly paper, consisting of one 
sheet, and an octavo form, might be made most useful 
and pleasing to our people, containing historical nar- 
ratives, wherein the origin of our parish churches and 

1 A few of these sketches were published in the Calendar at Hartford 
between June, 1854, and January, 1855. 



The Rectors of St Peter's and St. Philip's 101 

other circumstances relating to them, with sketches 
of the Clergy might be given in order to enable the 
historian to furnish a correct view of our ecclesiastical 
state in this country." 1 

He lived to a great age. On the feast of S. Thomas, 
1850, he reverently received the Holy Communion and 
died the Sunday after Christmas aged ninety years and 
seven months. An obituary notice says of him: 

It may be truly said of the departed that he was a 
great missionary. In five or more of our Dioceses he 
officiated for more or less time; but the greater part 
of his ministerial life, that is about forty years, was 
passed in South Carolina. He was first missionary of 
our "Advancement Society," and first missionary of 
"the Society for Missions of Young Men and others," 
instituted in Charleston, which was intended to act 
out of the diocese, and which continued until the 
"General Missionary Society" superseded the use of it. 
The Churches now flourishing in Columbia, Choran, 
S. Augustine and Wadesborough were planted by him. 
The old parishes of S. Bartholomew's, Edisto Island 
and Christ Church, each of them for several years 
found the benefit of his ministration. Few more 
industrious men, physically, mentally and socially 
have ever lived. "These hands," he could truly say, 
"have ministered to my necessities and those who were 
with me." Into the garden, the field, the orchard, the 
vineyard and the forest, he went — not for recreation, 
or to gain wealth, but to supply the deficiency of an 
inadequate salary; for he coveted no man's silver or 
gold, or apparel. More contentment, with the allot- 
ments of Divine Providence; more confidence in God, 
as respected himself and his family; more meekness 

1 Letter in Hobart MSS. dated July 25th, 1830. 



102 The History of St. Philip's Church 

in his intercourse with men; more resignation in sick- 
ness, sightlessness, adversity, bereavement and the 
last conflict, I have not witnessed. He had a son in- 
tended for Holy Orders ; much care was bestowed and 
expense (involving serious self-denial) on his educa- 
tion. It was finished with credit at one of our chief 
colleges. The youth was now competent to provide 
for himself, and was just about to become a candidate 
for the ministry, but he died. It was a trial, met by 
his aged father in the temper of faithful Abraham, and 
with the resignation of holy Job. 1 

Mr. Fowler was succeeded in the Rectorship of St. 
Peter's and St. Philip's on the 15th of December, 1794, 
by the Rev. Samuel Haskell, who was in Deacon's 
Orders. The Minute reads: 

We, the Wardens and Vestrymen of the Protestant 
Episcopal Church at Peeks Kill and in the Highlands 
do hereby respectfully notify the Rt. Rev. Samuel 
Provoost of the State of New York, that on the 15th 
day of December last we did unanimously and delib- 
erately make choice of and engage the Rev. Samuel 
Haskell to take the rectorship of the aforesaid 
Churches — We would further observe that by the 
prudent and faithful discharge of his office he has 
recommended himself to the good opinion of all ranks, 
and denominations of people in this place. We re- 
joice in the happy prospect we now have, that our 
Churches will soon be raised to hold a rank with the 
Church of Christ in this land. By our desire, and 
the desires of the respective members of our Churches, 
the Rev. Mr. Haskell goes to New York to obtain 
from the Rev. Bishop the Orders of Priest, that he 
may be enabled to minister to us the Holy Eucharist 

1 Charleston Gospel Messenger, March 1st, 1851. 



The Rectors of St. Peter's and St Philip's 103 

on the next Easter — with the greatest respect we 
subscribe ourselves 

the Bishop's Most Obedient Humble Servants, 

Silvanus Haight, 

Caleb Morgan, Jr, 

James Spock, 

Jarvis Dusenbury, 

Joshua Lancaster, 

Elijah Morgan, 

Henry Romer, 

John Gee. 
The above is a true copy of a letter sent to the 
Rev. Samuel Provoost, Bishop of the State of New 
York. 

Duly ordained, on the 23rd day of February, 1795, the 
Wardens and Vestry thus addressed Mr. Haskell: 

We the Wardens and Vestrymen of the Protestant 
Episcopal Churches at Peekskill and the Highlands, 
having voluntarily and deliberately made choice of 
the Rev. Saml Haskell to minister in holy things in 
the aforesaid Churches, do now and hereby assign and 
consign to him the Rectorship of the same, in testi- 
mony whereof we hereby deliver to you Rev'd Sir, 
the keys of the same, trusting that, through the 
Grace of God, you will be enabled to discharge the 
office as a good and faithful Minister of Christ. 

The high hopes for prosperity were not fully realized. 
Subscriptions fell off, and early in 1797 the Vestry, 
"after taking into consideration the state of the respec- 
tive Churches, are of the opinion that the annual salary 
of the Rev. Mr. Haskell cannot be raised the ensuing 
year, and that an address be presented to him, informing 
him, that the Vestry thro inability of raising the money 
by subscription, cannot think themselves bound to him 



104 The History of St. Philip's Church 

any longer than the 1st of February next." Sylvanus 
Haight, Ebenezer Burling and James Douglass were 
appointed a committee to draft the address, " which being 
drafted is in the following words" 

Sir, 

The Wardens and Vestrymen of S. Peter's and S. 
Philips Churches, having viewed with deep concern 
for some months past, the rapid decline of religious 
worship whereby the continuation of your annual 
support is rendered impossible, have thought it their 
indispensable duty to inform you thereof. Be 
pleased, Sir, to accept of our best wishes for the zeal 
you have always manifested in endeavoring to pro- 
mote virtue and true godliness among the people, and 
of enforcing your heavenly Father's Doctrine with 
the energy so truly becoming the christian's char- 
acter, and when your labours are finished here below, 
may you meet with that reward, the best of all 
Blessings — "Well done, thou good and faithful servant 
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord." January 31st, 
1797. 

That there had been some friction between the Rector 
and the Vestry is evident from this recorded resolution: 
"Resolved, that all disputes and controversies heretofore 
had between the Rev. Mr. Haskell and the Wardens and 
Vestry should finally cease." 

The Rector was requested to vacate the glebe by the 
first of April, with the promise that "your salary will 
be collected as quick as possible." Permission was also 
granted him "to preach in either of the two Churches," 
his compensation to be "what collections may be made 
during the service of the day." In May of the same 
year the Vestry "resolved and agreed to continue the said 



The Rectors of St. Peter's and St. Philip's 105 

Mr. Haskell as Rector of the said Churches until the 10th 
day of December next — at which time Mr. Haskell does 
promise to relinquish his rectorship of said Churches, and 
to remove from the parsonage by the first day of April 
in the year 1798 — and the said Mr. Haskell agrees to 
accept for this present years salary of what money can, 
by proper exertions on the part of Wardens and Vestry, 
be raised by subscription from the inhabitants in case 
there should be a deficiency of forty pounds in each 
Church — the said Wardens and Vestry do promise to 
pay each of them the sum of twenty shillings beside 
their subscription. The said Mr. Haskell is at liberty 
to absent himself occasionally, not to exceed two weeks 
at a time." 

These terms were accepted by Mr. Haskell in the 
following communication: 

I do hereby certify my approbation of the above 
resolve of the Wardens and Vestry, and also agree 
not to demand any money from them for my minister- 
ial services the present year, more than what can be 
raised by subscriptions, and in case of a deficiency, 
of a dividend among said Wardens and Vestry of 
twenty shillings each. 

Witness my hand Samuel Haskell, 

Peekskill, Rector of the above mentioned 

6th May, 1797 Churches. 

In November the Vestry met and "examined the 
different accounts and receipts and found due to the 
Rev. Samuel Haskell the sum of seventy-four pounds 
towards salary, besides what has been raised by sub- 
scription, for which sum of seventy-four pounds the order 
is now given to the aforesaid Samuel Haskell upon the 



106 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Corporation of Trinity Church in consequence of their 
donation to the aforesaid Churches: which order, to- 
gether with the money which is due on the subscription 
paper at Peekskill, for the purpose of raising a salary for 
the aforesaid Samuel Haskell, he the said Samuel 
Haskell, does accept for the arrearages of salary without 
any further demands on the aforesaid Churches." 

It was further agreed that "Mr. Caleb Ward and Mr. 
Caleb Morgan are appointed as a committee to examine 
and take charge of the parsonage house and farm when- 
ever the Revd Mr. Haskell is disposed to give it up." 

At the close of 1797 Mr. Haskell became Rector of 
Christ Church, Rye. 

The Rev. Samuel Haskell was born near Boston in 
1762, being a descendant of Roger Haskell, one of the 
founders of Salem in 1639. At the age of nineteen he 
entered the Army and served under General Knox when 
New York was evacuated by the British troops in 1783. 
The following year he was honorably discharged on a 
sergeant's pension, and graduated from Yale in 1790. 
For two years he was a tutor in Queen's College, New 
Jersey. For four years he was Rector of Rye, and then 
took charge of the historic parish of Christ Church, 
Boston. He died at New Rochelle on the 24th of 
August, 1845. 

After Mr. Haskell's departure from the united parishes 
there appears to have been no minister for at least four 
years, and no recorded attempt to secure one. In 1801 
"Benjamin Douglas was appointed to call upon the 
Bishop and make enquiry respecting the probability of 
getting a preacher for our two Churches." Douglas 
being unable to make the journey to New York, "Joshua 



The Rectors of St. Peter's and St. Philip's 107 

Lancaster was appointed in his stead, and did go and 
make the above enquiry," and he was paid two pounds 
for the journey. He reported that "if a minister offered 
the Bishop would send one to us." In the Fall the 
application to the Bishop was renewed, and Douglas 
"called on the Bishop for a minister, and could not obtain 
any until Spring." At the Vestry meeting of November 
6th, 1801, it was resolved " that the doors of the Churches 
be shut against Mr. Palmer for the future," but who 
Mr. Palmer was history sayeth not. 

For nine years the parish was without a regular Rector, 
and occasional services were held as clergymen could be 
obtained. On May 20th, 1804, James Mandeville was 
paid £3-13-0 "for keeping of the Rev. Messers Cooper 
and Wilkins." Mr. Cooper was Rector of St. John's, 
Yonkers, and Mr. Wilkins of St. Paul's, East Chester. 

The long interregnum was broken on April 7th, 1806, 
when the Vestry voted that — "the Rev. Joseph Warren 
should be Rector of the united churches of S. Peter's in 
Cortlandt Town and S. Philip's in Philipstown, and that 
notice of the same should be transmitted to the Bishop 
of New York by the Wardens." 

His stipend was fixed at "two hundred dollars, to- 
gether with the Glebe," and that was paid in small 
instalments as witness this entry in the Minutes, 

October 5th, 1807 Paid to the Rev. Joseph Warren 
cash 5 dollars. 

James Mandeville. 

Mr. Warren's ministry lasted barely two years, for on 
March 11th, 1809, it was voted that "Henry Garrison 



108 The History of St, Philip's Church 

and James Mandeville be chosen a committee to wait on 
the Bishop to intercede for a Clergyman," and the same 
year Jacob Lent, the schoomaster in the Highlands, was 
paid twenty -five dollars for "reading services in both 
Churches.' The committee appointed to see the Bishop 
reported that he "told them there was no Candidate at 
present, and that he would charge his memory with the 
application." 

Relief came on December 9th, 1809, when "the Rev. 
Mr. Urquhart visited our two congregations and preach- 
ed at Mr. MandevilPs, and is to preach at the Highlands 
on Sunday 17th instant and the following Sunday at 
Fishkill town." The Wardens and Vestry held a 
special meeting at the house of James Mandeville in 
Peekskill and "after hearing Mr. Urquhart deliver an 
appropriate discourse, agreed that he should preach at 
the Highlands and then at Fishkill, and on his return to 
call the Wardens and Vestry to consult on the proper 
mode of conducting the affairs of the said Churches and to 
give a call to Mr. Urquhart, or other ways as the case 
may appear most proper to the aforesaid Wardens and 
Vestry." 

The call was duly given on January 6th, 1810, and it 
was voted that one hundred and thirty dollars be paid 
him for his services to the first of May next. On April 
17th, 1811, it was voted "that the Wardens and Vestry 
sign the certificate to the Bishop of the Protestant Episco- 
pal Church, New York, that John Urquhart has been duly 
chosen rector of the two united Churches of St. Peters 
and St. Philips." 

Mr. Urquhart came to the parish from the North, 
having served as rector of St. Anne's, Fort Hunter, and 




W e 
H 

C 

H 

t— i 
W 
U 
W 



-— ;_.»* 



The Rectors of St. Peter's and St Philip's 109 

St. John's, Johnstown, N. Y., the latter the historic 
church built by Sir William Johnson. Of his work there 
we get a glimpse in the "Reminiscences of Bishop Chase" 
who says that in 1798 Mr. Urquhart was one of the three 
clergymen "above the Highlands." 1 Writing of his 
journey to found the church in Utica the Bishop says : 

Although some distance out of the way I could not 
deny myself the pleasure of going to Johnstown to 
visit my fellow laborer in the gospel, the Rev. Mr. 
Urquhart. Here I had the pleasure of beholding a 
goodly stone church, with an organ, built by Sir 
William Johnson, and endowed by that munificent 
person, with a glebe for the support of an Episcopal 
clergyman. The Church had been recovered by an 
appeal to the Legislature setting in Albany 
but the glebe was still in the hands of those who had 
seized on it in the time of the war . . . While 
the Presbyterian Minister was maintained in comfort, 
Mr. Urquhart received the support only of the few re- 
maining Churchmen whom poverty had detained in 
the place. 2 

It was therefore, possibly, owing to straitened circum- 
stances that Mr. Urquhart became principal of the 
Johnstown Academy from which position he came into 
the Highlands. His Rectorship was a troubled one, and 
ended under painful circumstances in 1813. The Vestry 
voted "ten dollars to assist Mr. Urquhart to remove to 
New York." One year later the Vestry of Trinity Parish 
voted a gift of one hundred and fifty dollars to Mr. 
Urquhart. 3 

1 Reminiscences of Bishop Chase, 2nd Edition, Vol. I, p. 22. 

2 Ibid, Vol. I, p. 28. 

3 Berrian's History of Trinity Church, p. 370. 



110 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Again the parish was left without the regular minis- 
tration of the Church, but with the advent of John Henry 
Hobart, the apostle of "Evangelical Truth and Apostolic 
Order" to the bishopric of New York there came a new 
sense of responsibility for the scattered sheep of the flock 
of God. Bishop Hobart arranged that the rectors of the 
parishes in the diocese should take under their charge 
adjacent vacant cures and minister in them as opportu- 
nity offered. In 1814 the Rev. Adam Empie, chaplain at 
West Point, and the Rev. John Brown, rector of St. 
George's, Newburgh, "were selected to supply the vacant 
congregations at Peekskill and Philipstown." 1 In 1815 
Mr. Empie reported "That in compliance with the 
appointments at the last Convention he has performed 
services and preached two Sundays at Philipstown and 
two Sundays at Peekskill, in each of which places he 
administered the Holy Communion, of the advantage of 
which they had for more than two years been deprived." 2 

The difficulty in obtaining a clergyman led to a sug- 
gestion that St. Peter's and St. Philip's should unite with 
Trinity Church, Fishkill, in calling the Rev. Petrus S. 
Ten Broeck, a Deacon residing in New York, as Rector. 
The Vestry so agreed, but the union was short lived. 
In 1817 the Vestry addressed a letter to Mr. Ten Broeck 
"to find out on what terms he will officiate as our Rector." 
In June it was voted "that we give the Rev. Mr. Ten 
Broeck such a call as is customary in like case in the 
State of New York, and consider him our ' Rector.' 
The stipend was fixed at three hundred dollars. He 
ministered for one year and then became Rector of St. 

1 Bolton's History of Westchester County, 1881, Vol. I, p. 136. 

2 N. Y. Convention Journal, 1815. 



The Rectors of St. Peter's and St Philip's 111 

Paul's, Portland, Maine, where he remained until 1831. 
Petrus Stuyvesant Ten Broeck was the son of Dirck 
Ten Broeck, and his wife Cornelia Stuyvesant. He 
married Lucretia Cutler of Portland, Maine. From 1831 
to 1837 he was rector of Saccaoppa, from which place he 
went to Concord, New Hampshire. He died at North 
Andover, Massachusetts, on January 24th, 1849. 

In 1820 the Rev. Isaac Wilkins was minister-in-charge 
for a brief period, and two years later Harry Garrison was 
instructed "to call on the Rev. Mr. Wm. Thomas and see 
if he will come and preach for us, and on what terms." 
The visit was fruitless. For five years the parish was 
vacant, and in 1826 the Reverend Edward I. Ives 
arrived with letters of Recommendation from Bishop 
Hobart. 1 He assumed the charge of the united Churches 
at a salary of "three hundred dollars, and more if it can 
be raised," and in 1827 he was re-engaged for another 
year at a salary of four hundred dollars. 

The effort to raise money for his support was made in 
the following appeal: 

We whose names are hereunto subscribed promise 
to pay James Mandeville, Daniel Wm. Birdsall and 
John Oppie, or either of them, the sums set opposite 
to our respective names for the purpose of compensat- 
ing the Rev. Mr. Ives in part for his services in 
preaching in S. Philip's Church in Philipstown, and 
S. Peter's Church in Cortlandtown for one year 
from the 4th day of June instant. That is to say, 
one Sunday in S. Peter's Church and the next Sunday 
in S. Philip's Church and so on through the year. 
The one half of the money to be paid by the first day 

1 Hobart MSS. 



112 The History of St. Philip's Church 
of November next if demanded, and the residue at the 



expiration of the year. 




Cortlandtown, 21st June, 1826. 




Pierre Van Cortlandt 


20.00 


James Mandeville 


5.00 


John Oppie 


5.00 


Stephen Currey 


1.00 


Isaac Purdy 


5.00 


Danl. Wm Birdsall 


5.00 


James Wiley 


5.00 


Jared Slon 


2.00 


Benjamin Ward 


1.00 


James Brewer 


1.00 


William Haight 


1.00 


Israel Jacob 


2.00 


John T. Gomier 


1.00 


Ann Sherwood 


.50 


John Currey 


1.00 


Jonathan Ferris 


1.00 


Allen B. Hazen 


1.00 


George Fowler 


2.00 


Edward B. Rathbone 


10.00 


Sarah Dusenbury 


2.00 


Ward B. Howard 


1.00 


G. Conklin 


1.00 


Caleb Morgan 


4.00 


John Miller 


1.00 


Nicholas Aray 


25 




$77.25 



Inasmuch as all the foregoing names were residents of 
Cortlandtown, doubtless a similar list was circulated at 
Philipstown, and to these donations must be added the 
rent of the glebe farm, which was part of the rector's 



The Rectors of St Peter's and St. Philip's 113 

remuneration. A note in the minute book says: "Mr. 
Ives left the parish for a call at the Eastward at the close 
of his year in 1829 — from which time the churches were 
unprovided with a clergyman until Mr. Sunderland was 
called in December, 1832." 

The late Samuel Gouverneur thus records the advent 
of Mr. Sunderland: 

Friday, 28th of December, Rev. Mr. Sunderland 
arrived with letter from Bishop Onderdonk — Vestry 
meeting held at Crofts. 

Sunday December 30th, Mr. Sunderland preached 

in S. Philips Church with a pretty good congregation 

— remained till the 1st of April at the rate of $300 

per annum. 1 

Mr. Sunderland had formerly been a Baptist minister. 

He was ordered Deacon in Ascension Church, New York, 

on Friday, November 16th, 1832, by Bishop Onderdonk, 

and advanced to the priesthood by the same Bishop on 

Thursday, May 9th, 1833, in the Church of St. Philip's 

in the Highlands. He served the parish until 1835 

when he was succeeded by the Rev. Charles Luck who 

continued until May 1st, 1836, and was paid $340. for 

the year. Mr. Luck was ordained in England and 

received into the Diocese of New York in 1835. Three 

years later he returned to England. 2 He appears to have 





1 MS. Journal. 

2 N. Y. Convention Journal, 1839. 



114 The History of St. Philip's Church 

been the last clergyman to minister to both churches, 
which were rapidly drifting towards the separation 
which was finally effected in 1840. For four months of 
1836 the Rev. Mr. Peake officiated at St. Philip's and at 
Cold Spring, and then removed to Missouri. 

In September of that year the Rev. Henry L. Storrs 
took charge of St. Philip's and remained long enough to 
witness the consecration of the Church in 1837. The 
Rev. E. C. Bull ministered from 1838 to 1839, and was 
succeeded by the Rev. Ebenezer Williams, who a few 
months later became Rector of the parish on its incor- 
poration in 1840. 



CHAPTER V. 



ST. PETER'S CHURCH AND ST. PHILIP'S CHAPEL 
WARDENS AND VESTRYMEN 

1770-1840 

MORE than passing mention should be made of 
the faithful men who administered the tem- 
poralities of the united Churches from 1770 
until 1840, when each church became an independent 
parish. 
The following is a list of the Wardens and Vestrymen : 

CHURCHWARDENS 



Beverly Robinson 

Charles Moore 

Daniel Birdsall 

Jeremiah Drake 

William Denning 

Caleb Ward 

Lt. Gov 1, Pierre Van Cortlandt 

Silvanus Haight 



Caleb Morgan 

Joshua Nelson 

Daniel Haight 

Daniel William Birdsall 

James Mandeville 

Harry Garrison 

Major Bernard Hanlon 

General Pierre Van Cortlandt 



VESTRYMEN 



Thomas Davenport 
John Johnson 
Caleb Ward 

(Warden, 1790) 
Joshua Nelson 

(Warden, 1797) 
Jeremiah Drake 

(Warden, 1774) 



James Mandeville 
(Warden, 1801). 
Benjamin Douglass 
John Jones, Jr. 
Isaac Purdy 
Cornelius Nelson 
William Lancaster 
Joseph Ferris 



116 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 



Henry Purdy 
Daniel Birdsall 

(Warden, 1772) 
Peter Drake 
Caleb Morgan 

(Warden, 1795) 
David Penoyer 
Francis Pemart 
Peter Corney 
James Spock 
Richard Arnold 
Silvanus Haight 

(Warden, 1795) 
Jarvis Dusenbury 
Isaac Davenport 
Benjamin Ward 
Joshua Lancaster 
Henry Romer 
Elijah Morgan, Jr. 
Daniel Haight 

(Warden, 1800) 
Isaac Mead 
John Gee 
Ebenezer Burling 
Harry Garrison 

(Warden, 1808) 
William Douglass 
William Bates 
Smith Jones 
James Douglass 
Justus Nelson 
Daniel William Birdsall 

(Warden, 1800) 
John Nelson 
Thomas Henyon 



Isaac Hurd 

Jacob Nelson 

Joseph Hopper 

Major Bernard Hanlon 

(Warden, 1808) 
Nicholas Nelson 
Jacob Lent 
William Nelson 
Elisha Covert 
John Oppie 

Captain Frederick Philips 
William Denning 

(Warden, 1790) 
William Henderson 
Mephiboseth Nelson 
Jonathan Ferris 
Stephen Nelson 
Tunice Cronk 
Pierre Van Cortlandt 
William B. Birdsall 
John Garrison 
James Wiley 
John T. Gomier 
Frederick P. Gouverneur 1 
Allen B. Hazen 
Samuel Gouverneur 
Richard Hopper 
Cornelius Mandeville 
Gouverneur Kemble 
John F. Haight 
Isaac Seymour 
Samuel Marks 
A. E. Watson 
John Uhl 
Henry Casimir de Rham 



1 Afterwards known as Frederick Philipse. 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 117 

CLERKS TO THE VESTRY 

John Johnson 1770 John Jones, Jr. 1805 

Daniel Birdsall 1771 Nicholas Nelson 1808-9 

James Clark 1772 Harry Garrison 1810-24 

Henry A. Cooper 1791 William Birdsall 1825 

Caleb Morgan | John Garrison 1826-37 

Isaac Mead j Frederick Philipse 1838-40 

COLONEL BEVERLY ROBINSON (1770-74) was 
the principal personage of his time in the Highlands, the 
first Church Warden of the parish and the founder and 
principal benefactor of St. Philip's Chapel. Indeed, but 
for his zeal and liberality, it is difficult to see how the 
church could have been established and maintained at so 
early a period. The Robinson family came from Cleasby, 
in the county of Yorkshire, England. Perhaps the most 
famous of them was Dr. John Robinson, who became 
Bishop of Bristol, and British Envoy for some years at the 
Swedish Court. In 1713 he was translated to the See 
of London. He was also British Plenipotentiary at the 
treaty of Utrecht, being the last bishop employed on a 
political mission. The first member of the family to 
migrate to the American colonies was Christopher, a 
nephew of the Bishop. He was a vestryman in the 
parish of Middlesex, Virginia, in 1664, and married Miss 
Bertram. 1 His eldest son, John, afterward President of 
the Colony of Virginia, was born in 1683, and married 
Catharine Beverley, daughter of Robert Beverley, 
author of the History of Virginia, published in 1708. 

1 Bishop Meade, Old Churches and Families of Virginia, Vol. I, 
p. 378. Cf. Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vols. XVI 
and XVII for a series of valuable articles on "The Robinson Family 
of Middlesex, Va." 



118 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Of this marriage there were seven children, amongst 
whom was Beverly. Another son, John, was Speaker 
of the House of Burgesses when Patrick Henry made 
his famous "treason" speech. His grave is marked by 
the following epitaph: 

Beneath this place lieth all that could die of the late 
worthy John Robinson, Esq., who was a Representa- 
tive of the county of King and Queen, and Speaker 
to the House of Burgesses above twenty-eight years. 
How eminently he supplied that dignified office, and 
with what fidelity he acted as Treasurer to the 
country beside, is well known to us, and it is not un- 
likely future ages will relate. He was a tender hus- 
band, a loving father, a kind master, a sincere friend, 
a generous benefactor, and a solid Christian. Go, 
reader, and to the utmost of your power imitate his 
virtues. 

Young Beverly grew up a contemporary and friend of 
George Washington, and their friendship continued until 
differing convictions ranged them in opposite camps 
during the War of the Revolution. It was on the strength 
of this old association that Robinson afterward appealed 
to Washington on behalf of the unfortunate Andre. 

Beverly Robinson early manifested his loyalty to the 
Crown. In the year 1746 "he raised a Company in the 
Service of the King and Government of Great Britain on 
an Expedition then intended against Canada, and was 
ordered with his company to the Colony of New York; 
on the frontiers of the said Colony he did Duty (the 
greater part of the time) until the conclusion of that 
War, when the forces raised for the Expedition were 
Disbanded.' ' 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 119 

The rapid growth of the city of New York attracted 
Mr. Robinson, and at the close of the Canadian episode 
he settled there, 1 living in a corner house near the Long 
Bridge. In Colonial times the aristocrats were for the 
most part engaged in mercantile pursuits, and Beverly 
Robinson became one of their number, associating him- 
self in business with Oliver De Lancey, who afterwards 
commanded a loyalist brigade in the Revolution. The 
following advertisement appeared in the New York 
Mercury for May 28th, 1759: 

De Lancey, Robinson & Co have removed their 
Store to the House 2 where the late Colonel Joseph 
Robinson lived, being the corner house next the 
Royal Exchange. 

There lived in New York at that time Frederick 
Philipse, nephew and heir of Adolph Philipse, to whom 
William III, in 1697, had granted an extensive tract of 
land bordering the Hudson river. To one of his three 
daughters, Susannah, whom he describes as "a lady of 
one of the best families with an ample fortune," Beverly 
Robinson was married on July 7th, 1748. 

About twelve years before the outbreak of the War of 
the Revolution Mr. and Mrs. Robinson "retired into the 
country and settled in the county of Dutchess where his 
Estate laid." They took up their abode at Beverly, a 
mansion which he describes as "a wooden house lined 
with brick; it was," he adds, "originally begun in 1758, 
but was added to afterwards." This house became 

1 He appeared as a witness to the will of David Clarkson, dated 
August 31st, 1749, and proved August 31st, 1751. (N. Y. Historical 
Society Collections, 1895, p. 340.) 

2 Afterwards Fraunce's Tavern. 



120 The History of St. Philip's Church 

historic in the annals of the Revolution. The head- 
quarters of Heath, Parsons and Putnam, it was fre- 
quently visited by Washington when in the Highlands, 
and from its breakfast table Benedict Arnold made his 
hasty flight when he found that his treason was dis- 
covered. 1 

After the forfeiture of the Robinson estate Beverly 
was leased by the Commissioners on February 19th, 
1779, to Sampson Dyckman at a rental of £36 per annum. 
His tenancy continued until 1785, when the house was 
purchased by William Denning, a merchant of New York. 
The homestead was unfortunately destroyed by fire on 
March 17th, 1892. 

Mr. Robinson's wealth and character combined to 
make him the most influential resident of the southern 
section of Dutchess County. The upper Philipse patent 
embraced the whole of what is now Putnam County, and 
was divided amongst the three surviving children of 
Frederick Philipse, Frederick, Susannah, the wife of 
Beverly Robinson, and Mary. Frederick Philipse died 
young, leaving several children and a widow, who sub- 
sequently married the Rev. John Ogilvie, an Assistant 
Minister of Trinity Church. Mary married Colonel 
Roger Morris of the British Army. 

Robinson's estate of 60,000 acres consisted of five 
parcels, which are fully described in his claim against the 
British Government, above referred to. The first 
comprised so much of Philipstown as lies south of Garri- 

1 On January 15th, 1781, Solomon Blindering, a British spy, 
reports: "There are no troops at Col. Robinson's house which is 
converted into a Hospital." (Magazine of American History, Vol. 
X, p. 339-40.) 




tfbea ■ tffodittSim- 



? 



Church Warden, 1770-1774 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 121 

son Station, including the churchyard; the second, all of 
the town of Putnam Valley, with so much of Philipstown 
and of Kent as lie to the northward thereof; the third 
of about one half of the town of Patterson; the fourth of 
some 2,000 acres in what is now Dutchess County, and 
the fifth of 72 acres of meadow land near Constitution 
Island, which was then considered to have an especial 
value. On these lands Mr. Robinson had 146 tenants. 
His home was in the first parcel, at what has since been 
known as the "Beverly House." Mr. and Mrs. Robin- 
son were the only residents representing the Philipse 
family. 

Himself a practical farmer on a large scale, he was an 
admirable landlord, treating his tenants with the greatest 
consideration. Before the Royal Commissioners in 1785, 
Captain Duncan Campbell testified that "Mr. Robinson 
was not only beloved and respected by his tenants, but 
was also universally respected and esteemed by all in 
the County in which he lived." 

To the cultivation of his own 1500 acre farm and the 
oversight of his extensive estate he added the ownership of 
two large grist and saw mills and potash works. The 
larger of the two was on the Morris part of the Philipse 
patent and is marked on Erskine's military map as 
"Robinson's Mill," standing on the outlet to Lake 
Mahopac. It is said to have been erected in 1756, and 
was constructed of massive timbers covered with cedar 
and painted red. In this enterprise Colonel Roger 
Morris was a silent partner, and prior to 1764 one Dickin- 
son owned a third interest. The building originally cost 
£800 and produced an annual return to each of the two 
partners of £150. During the Revolution the mill and 



122 The History of St. Philip's Church 

store attached were seized by the American troops and 
the contents confiscated, the stock being valued at 
nearly £3,000. After the war "he heard the Mills were 
sold to one Smith." They were finally demolished in 
1881. 

The other mill was located at Continental Village, near 
Peekskill. In his evidence before the Commission in 1783 
Mr. Robinson says, " I had on Lot No. 1 where the Rebels 
built their Continental Village a Grist Mill & Fulling 
Mill; they cleared me at least £100 a year and cost in 
building upwards of £900." 

Attached to each of these mills was a general country 
store. The one at Mahopac was under the management 
of Thomas Henderson, who estimated the value of the 
stock, notes and book debts at £8,000. The Peekskill 
store was burned by the "rebel" troops. The schedule 
of the damage is set out as follows: 

Seized or destroyed by the Rebels in the Store at 

Peeks Kill. 132 Barrels fine flour taken by order of 

the Prov 1 Congress £285-12-0 

Burnt in 13 Tons Pearl Ash 55 p Ton 715- 0-0 

the 42 Barrels fine flour 76 Cwt @ 24/- 91- 0-0 

Store at 33 Casks Cornel 85 do @ 17/ 

Peeks Kill. 2 Hhds Hams 1215 lbs @ 10 d 

40 Barrels Beef 58/ 

5Q do Pork 100/ 

30 Firkins Butter 1080 lbs 1/ 

Left in the Mill & Store at Philips Town & seized for 

the use of the Rebel Army. 

8584 Bushels Wheat 8/- 

279 « Indian Corn 5/- 

107 " FlaxSeed 8/- 

231 « Oats 2/6 

209 " Buck Wheat 2/6 



72- 5-0 


50-10-0 


116- 0-0 


280- 0-0 


54- 0-0 


seized for 


1433 12 


69 15 


42 16 


28 17 


26 2 



24/- 


450 


12 


100/- 


395 




9d 


22 


4 


V- 


55 


2 


58/- 


34 
165 


16 




56 


5 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 123 

212 Barrels fine flour 375 cut 
79 " Pork 

1 Hhd. Hams 592 lbs © 

31 Firkins Butter 1102 lbs 

12 Barrels Beef 

3 Tons Pearl Ash £55 ton 

8 Barrels Potash \% £45 

The goods left in Store were valued at 

300 bushels Wheat & other grain rec'd 

for Toll val d at 5/- p 75 

From a Memorand expressed these "Goods Notes 
& Bonds exceeding £10 due to Messrs Morris & 
Robinson's Store at Philips Town 1 Mar 1777 
amounting to 1382 10 

£6081 18 6 

In addition to his large commercial interests Mr. 
Robinson filled almost every public office in the com- 
munity. He was the first Colonel of the Dutchess 
County Militia. On May 4th, 1769, he became Judge 
of the Court of Common Pleas, of which office he testifies, 
"There was no salary attached to it; it was chiefly a 
place of respect." 1 This position he occupied until his 
departure from the Highlands, his successor, Ephriam 
Paine, not being appointed until 1787. Nor was he 
indifferent to local civic duties. In 1763-5 he served as 
Supervisor for the South Precinct of Dutchess, and in 
1772 and 1774 he filled the same office in the newly 

1 The Court of Common Pleas for Dutchess County was established 
by Order in Council under Governor Burnet in the seventh year of the 
reign of George III. It was ordered that "it shall be held and kept 
at Poughkeepsie, near the Center of the County on the third Tuesday 
in May, and the third Tuesday in October, yearly and every year for- 
ever." (Documentary History of the State of New York, Vol. Ill, 
p. 588.) 



124 The History of St. Philip's Church 

created Philipse Precinct. In 1763 he was one of the 
Commissioners and Paymasters to the forces raised in 
the Colony of New York, having for colleagues John 
Cruger and Peter Van Brugh Livingston. 1 

As befitted the son and grandson of Virginia Vestrymen 
Beverly Robinson was a loyal and devoted son of the 
Anglican Church in the American Colonies. Under 
God, he was the founder of St. Philip's Chapel in 
the Highlands. His gift of one acre of land made 
possible its erection, and there is a tradition that he was 
also the donor of the lumber out of which the building 
was constructed. Without his generous benefaction of 
200 acres of land for a glebe a minister could not have 
been called and supported. Honored by election as 
the first Church Warden of the united parish, on more 
than one occasion he personally collected funds for the 
support of the Rector and entertained him at Beverly 
until such time as the parsonage was built. The last 
recorded attendance of Mr. Robinson at a Vestry meet- 
ing was on April 12th, 1774, "being Tuesday in Easter 
week." 

Into this placid life came the bitter strife which pre- 
ceded and culminated in the memorable conflict between 
the American Colonies and Great Britain, a conflict which 
cost Beverly Robinson his fortune and his estate, and 
drove him from the land of his birth an attainted exile. 
For nearly a century and a half the tradition has per- 
sisted that the Colonel took the King's side with the 
greatest reluctance, and then only after a strong effort 
to remain neutral. How that tradition was born it is 
hard to say. President Dwight of Yale, who, as chap- 

1 Colden Papers, Vol. I, p. 229. 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 125 

lain to the American troops, resided at Beverly in 1778, 
writes: "When the Revolutionary War broke out Colonel 
Robinson was induced, contrary as I have been informed 
to his own judgment and inclination, by the importunity 
of his friends, to take the British side of the question. 
To him it appeared safer to act a neutral part and remain 
quietly on his estate. The pressure, however, from 
various sources was so strong against him that he finally 
yielded." 1 A careful examination of documentary evi- 
dence fails to afford the slightest proof of such statements; 
on the contrary, there is ample evidence that Mr. Robin- 
son actively supported the cause of the King from the 
moment that the conflict became acute in the Province 
of New York. 

In the year 1784, when living in London, the Colonel 
presented an elaborate memorial to the Royal Commis- 
sioners appointed to assess the losses and services of the 
American Loyalists. This document, which has never 
been published, sets forth at considerable length his 
claim for pecuniary compensation, supported by the 
testimony of various witnesses given under oath. Mak- 
ing due allowance for the fact that it was to his interest 
to magnify both his loyalty and his service, a perusal 
of the documents places his sympathies with England 
beyond question. He says, "That your Memorialist 
from the very earliest period of the Rebellion exerted 
himself in the discharge of his duty by endeavoring to 
stop its progress ... he never signed any Asso- 

1 Dwight's Travels in New England and New York, Vol. Ill, p. 
429-30. 



126 The History of St. Philip's Church 

ciation, took any oath to, or in any degree countenanced 
the measures of the Americans." 1 

It will be interesting to trace the sequence of the events 
which led to his flight from the Highlands to enter the 
military service of the Crown. Prior to the battle of 
Lexington, which formally ushered in the War of the 
Revolution, there was much political unrest throughout 
the Colonies. The excitement spread to Dutchess 
County, where, on March 21, 1775, a liberty pole was 
erected two or three miles from Poughkeepsie, near the 
house of Mr. John Bailey. The next day, in his capacity 
as Judge of the Inferior Court, Mr. Robinson, together 
with the Sheriff (Philip Livingston), two Justices of the 
Peace, a Constable, "with some other friends to Consti- 
tutional Liberty with good order," proceeded to the 
place "and cut down the same as a public nuisance." 2 

Two months later came the proposal to send dele- 
gates from Dutchess County to a Provincial Congress 
for New York. Beverly Robinson strongly opposed the 
step. He says, "Upon the first breaking out of the 
Rebellion, on the proposal of sending members to the 
Provincial Congress, he opposed that Measure in the 
County wherein he lived, but was over-ruled by the 
Majority — and from that period to the time he quitted 
home he exerted all his influence in behalf of the British 
Cause." The meeting to elect the delegates was held at 
Poughkeepsie on Tuesday, May 16th, 1775, and the 
certificate of election was signed by Bev. Robinson 

1 The Proceedings of the Commissioners are contained in 46 Folio 
MSS. volumes in the Public Library, New York. The case of Bev- 
erly Robinson is in Volume XLIII, pp. 203-286. 

2 American Archives, Fourth Series II, 176. 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 127 

and eight others — some of them Whigs. 1 This Congress 
was dissolved on November 14th, and Mr. Robinson was 
elected a Deputy to the second Congress: 

The Deputies of the County of Dutchess produced 
a certificate from the committee of the said County 
dated Novr 8th, 1775, and signed by Egbert Benson 2 
chairman, whereby it appears that Petrus Ten Broeck, 
Beverly Robinson, Cornelius Humphreys, Henry 
Schenck, Gilbert Livingston, John Kane, Jacob 
Everson, Morris Graham and Robert G. Livingston 
Esqrs, were elected Deputies for the said county, with 
power to them to represent the said county in Pro- 
vincial Congress for the Colony of New York. 3 

There is nothing to prove that Mr. Robinson accepted 
this election; and the records show that he never sat 
in the Provincial Congress. As might be expected 
from the position he held in the County as a great land- 
owner, strong and persistent efforts were made to secure 
his active support for the American cause. Already 
Colonel commanding the Dutchess Militia, it is evident 
from the following letter that a proposal was made to him 
to accept a commission in the troops being raised in 
defence of the Colonies, but in vain. He writes: 

Highlands, Sept 13th, 1775. 
Sir, 

Yesterday our precinct held a meeting and chose a 
committee of twelve persons, out of which number 

1 American Archives, Fourth Series II, 834-5. 

2 Egbert Benson was Assemblyman from Dutchess County ; Attorney- 
General for the State of New York and Commissioner of Conspiracies for 
Albany and Dutchess Counties. In later years he was sent to Congress 
and afterwards became a Justice of the Supreme Court of New York. 

3 Calendar of Hist. MSS— War of Revolution, Vol. I, p. 190. 



128 The History of St. Philip's Church 

three are to attend the county committee, and suppose 
they will soon as they conveniently can, proceed to the 
choice of militia officers. As to the commission you 
proposed to me, though I shall always be ready to 
serve my country in any way in my power, yet for the 
present I must decline accepting of it. 

I have seen the person I mentioned to you as a 
major and believe he will also decline taking that 
commission, though he did not give me a positive 
answer. 

I am, Sir, y r most hum. serv. 

Bev: Robinson. 

Six days after the writing of the above letter the Com- 
mittee of Safety appealed to the Colonel "at his seat in 
the Highlands" to put a price on Martlaer's Rock, 1 where 
a fort was then being built "by order of the Continental 
Congress." On October 2d he replies that the property 
is that "of Mrs. Ogilvie and her children; was it mine, 
the publick should be extremely welcome to it." 2 

Events in the State and the county were rapidly mov- 
ing towards a crisis which was to force men to take a 
definite side in the conflict. The American authorities 
have sometimes been accused of harshness in their treat- 
ment of the Loyalists, and in the heat of the strife there 
were doubtless things done which were afterwards 
regretted, for after all, as Sherman declared, "War is 
Hell." But it should be remembered that the Provincial 
Congress gave the Loyalists full opportunity to leave the 
State, carrying with them their personal property. 
Those, therefore, who disregarded that warning had no 
legitimate ground of complaint when their goods were 

1 Constitution Island. 

2 American Archives, Fourth Series, III, p. 1274. 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 129 

confiscated. In Dutchess County grave difficulties 
were experienced in raising Continental troops, and the 
Tories proved both active and obstinate. The County 
Committee complained that three most material wit- 
nesses had "refused to be sworn and contemned the 
authority of the committee." Whereupon the Provin- 
cial Congress resolved "that any person male or female 
who shall refuse (to testify) shall be committed into 
custody at his expense there to remain until he does 
qualify & testify." 1 No wonder, under such circum- 
stances, that Beverly Robinson asserts that "his position 
was a very unpleasant one though he was not personally 
molested." 

At length the State took drastic measures "against the 
wicked Machinations and Designs of the Foreign and 
Domestic Foes thereof." The situation was critical. 
The British were in possession at the south and invasion 
was threatened from the north. Toryism was rampant, 
and it became necessary to stamp out conspiracies 
against the State. After various experiments a body 
was created in 1778 entitled " Commissioners for Detect- 
ing and Defeating Conspiracies in the State of New 
York." 2 The Commissioners were endowed with the 
powers of a Star Chamber. They were authorized to send 
alike for persons and papers; administer oaths and to 
imprison those whose liberty threatened the safety of the 
State. On the 20th of February, 1777, the Committee for 

1 American Archives, Fourth Series, IV, p. 403. 

2 For a full and admirable account of this Body see the Introduction 
to Minutes of the Commissioners for Detecting and Defeating Con- 
spiracies in the State of New York, Albany County Sessions, edited by 
Victor Hugo Paltsits, Vol. I, pp. 1-61. 



130 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Dutchess County summoned Beverly Robinson to appear 
before them for the purpose of taking the following oath : 

We the subscribers do most solemnly swear on the 
holy evangelists of Almighty God, that we do verily 
believe in our Consciences that no Allegiance is due 
from us to the King and Crown of Great Britain, 
and we do accordingly disclaim and renounce all 
Allegiance to the said King and Crown, and we do fur- 
ther most solemnly swear that we consider ourselves 
Subjects of the State of New York and that we will 
in all Things demean ourselves as good & faithful 
subjects of the said State ought to do; and as good 
subjects of the said State, we will do our duty in pro- 
moting its Safety, Independency & Honor. And we 
do further most solemnly swear, that as good Subjects 
of the State of New York we will do our Duty in 
supporting the Measures of the General Congress of 
the United States of America for the Establishment of 
the Liberties & Independence of the S d States in 
opposition to the Arbitrary Claims, wicked usurpa- 
tions and hostile Invasion of the King & Parliament 
of Great Britain, their Agents & adherents, and that 
we will make known and as good subjects of the said 
State of New York do our duty in suppressing all 
Treasonable Plotts or Conspiracies against the said 
American States in General, or the State of New York 
in particular which may come to our knowledge, and 
we do further most solemnly swear on the Holy 
Evangelists of Almighty God that we severally do 
take this Oath voluntarily & mean to perform it, 
without any mental reservation or equivocation what- 



1 "A True Copy from the Minutes 
Henry Peckwell, Sec y to the 
Comm rs for Conspiracies &c." 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 131 

Obviously Beverly Robinson could take no such oath 
and he writes, "They gave him till May following to give 
his answ r as to taking his Oath — but he declared he 
would never take it." Remain in the county without 
subscription he could not; all that he could do for the 
King he had done, and "finding he had made himself 
obnoxious to the Leaders, and that he could no longer 
be of service to the King's cause in the County; he, on 
the 5th of March, 1777, left his Family (except his 
eldest Son who had made his Escape some months before) 
and repaired to the City of New York." 

Immediately on his arrival in the city he addressed a 
letter to John Jay, "President of the committee before 
which he had been summoned," presumably setting 
forth his reasons for adherence to the Crown. That 
interesting communication has not been found, but 
Mr. Jay's answer, addressed to Mrs. Robinson in the 
Highlands, exists in manuscript, though it has never been 
published. It reads as follows : 

Kingston, 21 March 1777. 
Dear Madam, 

Mr. Robinson's Letter directed to me as one of the 
late Committee at Fish Kills, was delivered to the 
Commissioners appointed for the like purpose at that 
Place; from whom I have received a copy of it. As 
I presume you cannot be unacquainted with its Con- 
tents, many Reasons conspire in persuading me to take 
the Liberty of troubling you with a few remarks on 
that Subject. 

Among the various Exertions of Power dictated by 
self Preservation in the Course of the present war, 
few give me more pain than those which involve 
whole f amelies without Distinction of age or sex in 
Calamity — and among the number of families threat- 



132 The History of St. P hilip' s C hur ch 

ened with these Calamities, permit me to assure you 
Madam that I feel for none more sensibly than yours. 

When your Friends reflect, that not only Mr. Rob- 
inson's Estate, but the reputation and Influence he 
has justly acquired; w become the Inheritance of 
children who promise to do honor to their parents; 
they can entertain few Ideas more painful, than those 
which Arise from the Danger of your family's being 
deprived of Expectations so well founded & so val- 
uable; and of a Lady's being subjected to all the an- 
guish of misfortune & Disappointment, who hath so 
uniformly promoted the happiness & prosperity of 
others. Pardon my calling attention to subjects so 
delicate though interesting. Mr. Robinson has put 
his own, and the happiness of his family at hazard, and 
for what? For the sake of a fanciful regard to an 
Ideal Obligation to a prince, who on his part disdains 
to be fettered by any obligation, a prince who with his 
Parliament, arrogating the attributes of Omnipotence, 
claims a right to bind you and your children in all 
cases whatsoever. 

Persuaded that all former Oaths of Allegiance were 
demolished by his usurpation, does he not daily at- 
tempt to bind the Inhabitants of this Country by new 
ones? If he deemed the former Oaths valid, why this 
Exaction of new obligations of Allegiance. Can you 
on such principles think of quitting a people who re- 
spect you, a Habitation and a Country which afford 
you every Necessary every Convenience? Remember 
that should you carry your numerous Family to New 
York, Famine may meet you & incessant anxiety ban- 
ish your peace. The fortune or Policy of War may 
induce and oblige your Protectors to remove from 
that place to some other part of the Continent, per- 
haps to Europe. Picture to your Imaginat n a city 
beseiged, yourself & children mixt with contending 
armies — Should it be evacuated, where & with whom 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 133 

& in what manner are you next to fly — can you think of 
living under the restless wings of an army — Should 
Heaven determine that America shall be free, in what 
country are you prepared to spend the remainder of 
your days & how provide for your children. These 
things it is true may not happen, but don't forget that 
they may — admit they sho d not — suppose Heaven 
unjust — Britain Victorious, and the Americans bound 
in all cases whatsoever, will you ever Madam be able 
to reconcile yourself to the mortifying Reflection of 
being the Mother of Slaves. For who are slaves but 
those who in all cases without Exception are bound to 
obey the uncontrolable Mandates of a Man — whether 
stiled King or called Peasant. 

Slaves Madam can have no property — they toil not 
for themselves, but live mere Pensioners on the 
Bounty of their Masters. And how contracted will 
be the Bounty of those Masters, who know but too 
well, that Poverty will be necessary to ensure Subjec- 
tion. For the sake of everything dear to you Madam 
be persuaded to prevail on Mr. Robinson to return, 
and advise him to take an open, decisive part with his 
Country. His attention to subjects in which Honor 
as well as Duty may be concerned merits Commenda- 
tion; and I still flatter myself that the same Atten- 
tion to honor as well as Duty will yet render his 
Character as distinguished by an Attachment to the 
Interest and Rights of his Country as it has hitherto 
been eminent for other Virtues. Be pleased to assure 
him that I shall always think myself happy in being 
useful to him in every occasion consistent with the 
Duties I owe to that important cause to which after 
the most mature consideration, I have chearfully de- 
voted myself, Family & Fortune, 
I am my dear Madam, 

with perfect Esteem & Respect 

Your Friend & ob 1 Servant j onn j av 



134 The History of St. Philip's Church 

This noble and lofty appeal, breathing as it does the 
spirit of truest patriotism, came too late; Beverly Robin- 
son was already in New York raising a regiment for the 
service of the King. 

The powerful influences which had hitherto shielded 
him from pecuniary loss were of necessity withdrawn. 
Immediately on his departure his personal property was 
seized by the Commissioners of Sequestration and ordered 
for instant sale. A strong but vain appeal was made by 
Mr. Samuel Verplanck to James Duane, then sitting in 
Provincial Congress, to use his influence either to delay 
the sale or suffer the family "to depart previous to it, 
as you may well conceive their situation must be very 
uncomfortable when stripped of everything necessary 
for their subsistence." In the absence of Mr. Duane, 
Governeur Morris writes that they are "so engaged in 
the perusal of Dispatches from Congress & with some 
important matters which more immediately claim their 
attention that I cannot possibly obtain an Answer this 
day, and the Vandue is it seems to commence tomorrow/ ' 
The sale therefore took place on April 21st, 1777, and 
included the household furniture, live stock, farming 
implements and the growing crops of fruit and grain. 
Mrs. Robinson and her children departed from their 
Highland home never again to return. 

Even then the cup of their suffering was not full. On 
the 22d day of October, 1779, the New York Legislature 
passed an Act of Attainder, drafted by John Morin 
Scott. By this Act the persons named therein were, 
without a hearing of any sort, attainted, and their estates, 
real and personal, confiscated. Their declared crime 
was "adherence to the enemies of the State." The 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 135 

second section of the Act decreed that "each and every 
of them who shall at any time hereafter be found in any 
part of this State, shall be, and are hereby adjudged and 
declared guilty of felony, and shall suffer Death as in 
cases of felony, without Benefit of Clergy." 1 

In the long list of persons mentioned are found the 
names of Beverly Robinson and his eldest son. Included 
in the attainder were three women: Susannah, wife of 
Beverly Robinson; her sister Mary, wife of Colonel 
Roger Morris, and Margaret, wife of the Rev. Charles 
Inglis, rector of Trinity Church, New York." 2 

By the provisions of this Act Beverly Robinson lost his 
entire landed estate of 60,000 acres, together with his 
two mills and well stocked stores. To this must also be 
added his house in New York, which was destroyed by the 
great fire of 1776, which started in a Whitehall grogshop 
and consumed more than four hundred houses, including 
Trinity Church, Rectory and Schools. 3 Mr. Robinson, 
in a detailed and careful statement, estimated his loss at 
£79,980-3-0 Sterling. 

We must now return to the military service of Beverly 
Robinson in the War of the Revolution. Immediately 
on his arrival in New York in March, 1777, he offered his 
service to Sir William Howe, the British Commander, 
and craved permission to raise a regiment for his Majes- 
ty's service. The necessary authority was issued on 

1 History of New York in the Revolution, Thomas Jones, Vol. I, p. 371. 

2 There were many loyal supporters of the Revolution who strongly 
disapproved of the Act of Attainder. John Jay, then Minister to 
Spain, writes, May 6th, 1780, "If truly printed, New York is dis- 
graced by Injustice too palpable to admit even of palliation." (Public 
Papers of George Clinton, Vol. V, p. 685.) 

3 Dix, History of Trinity Church, Vol. I, p. 390-1. 



136 The History of St. Philip's Church 

March 14th, and so rapidly did the recruiting proceed 
that he and his men were ordered on duty the 13th of 
May following. According to the official returns, the 
Loyal American Regiment consisted of 10 companies, 
numbering 33 officers and 394 men. Colonel Robinson, 
who commanded the regiment says, "The Regiment he 
raised was to have consisted of 500 Men, but he believes 
he had no more than 250 Men fit for duty at a time as 
they expended many." He also adds the interesting 
fact, which is corroborated by Sir Henry Clinton, that 
"many of these were his own Tenants and most of them 
from his own Country." His own family was well 
represented in the list of officers. Beverly, the younger, 
was appointed a Captain in March, and on October 7th 
was gazetted Lieutenant-Colonel. 1 

1 Beverly Robinson, the younger, who was born March 5th, 1751, 
graduated at King's College and studied law under James Duane. He 
married, at Flushing, Ann Dorothea Barclay, daughter of the late Rev. 
Henry Barclay, formerly Rector of Trinity Church. He served in the 
Loyal American Regiment throughout the War of the Revolution. On 
the evacuation of New York in 1783 he went to Annapolis, Nova Scotia, 
but soon removed to Nashwaaksis, opposite Fredericton, New Bruns- 
wick. In 1790 he was appointed a member of the King's Council for the 
Province. On the outbreak of the War of 1793 between France and 
England he was appointed to the command of the King's New Bruns- 
wick Regiment by Governor Thomas Carleton. In the Collections of 
the N. B. Historical Society (1894) Mr. Jonas Howe writes: "To the 
Commander — Lieut. Col. Robinson — was due the greater share of credit 
for the discipline that marked the conduct of officers and men, either 
at regimental headquarters, or the numerous posts along the frontiers 
of the Province at which detachments were stationed. Honorable, 
humane, just, Colonel Robinson acquired the respect of officers and 
men under his command." At the close of the war he retired in com- 
parative poverty to his farm. Whilst on a visit to his two surviving 
sons in New York he died on October 6th, 1816, and was buried in St. 
Paul's Churchyard. 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 137 

The second son, Frederick Phillipse, was made an 
Ensign in August, 1778 1 ; Morris became Captain on 
October 7th, 1777 2 ; and John, the fourth son, was only 
fifteen years of age when he joined the regiment as 
Ensign in November of the same year. 3 

The Loyal American Regiment saw considerable active 
service during the War. When the men were little more 
than raw recruits they took part in the capture of Forts 
Clinton and Montgomery; in the Pennsylvania cam- 
paign, in the attack on Stony Point, and later served in 
the south under Lord Cornwallis. Attached to the 
Loyal Americans were the Royal Guides and Pioneers, 
consisting of 6 companies, 17 officers and 175 men, who 
were also under the command of Colonel Robinson. 

Beverly Robinson's own war record was honorable. 
He served under Generals Sir Henry Clinton, Lord 
Rawdon, Vaughan and Try on. As Colonel of the 
Loyal American Regiment he received no pay, but 
writes, "He was afterward appointed Colonel of Guides 

1 At the close of the War Frederick Philipse Robinson accompanied 
his father to England and joined the British Army. He fought with 
great distinction under Wellington, attaining the rank of Lieutenant- 
General. For his services he was made a Knight Commander of the 
Bath. In the war of 1812 he commanded the English troops in the 
attack on Plattsburgh. He died at Brighton, England, on January 
1st, 1852, at the age of eighty-seven years. 

2 After serving for some time in the Loyal American Regiment 
Morris Robinson was transferred to the Queen's Rangers Hussars of the 
regular army. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel and died at 
Gibraltar in 1815 at the age of fifty-six. 

3 John Robinson went to New Brunswick in 1783 and four years 
later married Elizabeth, daughter of the Hon. Chief Justice Ludlow. 
In that province he filled almost every public office, including member- 
ship in the King's Council. He died October 8th, 1828, during his 
term of office as Mayor of St. John. 



138 The History of St. Philip's Church 



d 



& Pioneers in which character he rec Pay of 20/ s a day 
which he gave up for the Place of Commissary of Cattle 
for which he received the same pay . . . was 
constantly on Duty during the War, though not often 
at the head of his Regiment, owing to a Difference respect 8 
the Rank of Provincial Officers as compared with the 
Regular." 

He did, however, take part in one stubborn fight. In 
the fall of 1777 the position of the Continental troops on 
the Hudson became critical. Burgoyne was endeavoring 
to force his way from the north to Albany, and Sir Henry 
Clinton moved his troops from New York up the river. 
The Highlands were the key to the situation, and an 
attack was planned upon Fort Montgomery, then garri- 
soned by only about six hundred militia. Outwitting 
General Israel Putnam by a skilful feint, Clinton divided 
his forces and detached Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell, 
with nine hundred men, to attack the fort from the rear. 
The Americans fought stubbornly and Campbell was 
killed. The command devolved upon Beverly Robinson 
and he finally captured the position. Sir Henry Clinton 
testified of him that "He distinguished himself on many 
occasions, particularly at the taking of Fort Montgomery 
where he behaved not only with Spirit and Courage but 
with the utmost Humanity." 

General Lord Rawdon adds, "As an officer he was 
always desirous to exert himself and distinguished him- 
self on the expedition against Fort Montgomery. His 
attachment to the British cause was uniformly steady 
and active." 

In time of war one of the least obtrusive but most 
important departments is that which is concerned with 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 139 

the gathering of information concerning the position, 
resources and movements of the enemy. Of this depart- 
ment Beverly Robinson was the chief in the New York 
campaign. He testifies that "he was employed by Sir 
Henry Clinton in the line of secret Intelligence, and had 
the direction of the Guides," and Clinton himself adds, 
"He attended Sir Henry in his expedition up the North 
River where he was of the greatest service to him from 
his knowledge of the country and the people 
With respect to Intelligence, he was at the head of it." 

There has been a disposition to censure Colonel 
Robinson because of this association with spies, but it 
should be remembered that such work, however dis- 
tasteful, was strictly within the line of his military duty. 
There can be no question but that Beverly Robinson 
was an active agent in the Andre-Arnold episode. As 
head of the Intelligence department he was undoubtedly 
familiar with the secret correspondence between "Gus- 
tavus" (Arnold) and "John Anderson" (Andre). If 
further proof were needed it would be found in the explicit 
statement, made under oath by Sir Henry Clinton before 
the British Commissioners on December 16th, 1785, 
"He (Robinson) likewise offered himself to Sir Henry 
Clinton to do the very same service that Major Andre 
afterwards did with respect to Mr. Arnold." 

It is not therefore surprising that when a personal 
interview between the two chief conspirators was first 
arranged, and Arnold went down the river to Dobb's 
Ferry on September 11th, 1780, to meet Andre, the latter 
was accompanied by Beverly Robinson. The reason 
for this is admirably set forth by Andre's biographer, 
Winthrop Sargent: 



140 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Robinson's circumspect and cautious character 
were thought needful to check the buoyancy of his 
comrade, and he was likewise fully acquainted with 
the pending negotiations. Indeed it was probably 
through him that Arnold's first overtures were made. 
But the large acquaintance and interests he had in the 
region, and his knowledge of the country, made his 
presence additionally desirable. 1 

The interview was frustrated because of the inoppor- 
tune activity of a battery of guns, and Arnold returned 
to West Point. 

Five days later Robinson again went up the river on 
the Vulture and anchored at Teller's Point. He dis- 
patched a letter to Arnold proposing another meeting, 
which was eventually arranged. On September 20th 
Andre went on board the vessel with every prospect of 
consummating the deal. "Andre," writes Sargent, "had 
boarded the Vulture in the highest spirits, and confident 
of success; nor was even the cautious and circumspect 
Robinson disposed to believe in failure. In fact Robin- 
son was placed in his present position because, among 
other reasons, his character for clear-headedness stood as 
high as his reputation for probity and honor; and it was 
intended that should the negotiations be consummated 
by Andre rather than himself, he should at least exercise 
a wholesome check on his companion's buoyancy." 

When Arnold insisted upon a meeting within the 
American lines Robinson's caution manifested itself, 
and he refused to leave the ship. Andre's consent to 
the proposal proved his undoing. When the news of his 

1 The Life and Career of Major John Andre, by Winthrop Sargent, 
Edited by William Abbatt, p. 295. 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 141 

capture reached the Vulture Beverly Robinson made 
one supreme effort to secure his release. Distasteful as 
it must have been to him, he appealed to Washington 
in the following letter: 

Vulture off Sinsink, Sept. 25th, 1780. 
Sir, 

I am at this moment informed that Major Andre, 
Adjutant Genl. of His Majesty's Army in America, 
is detained as a prisoner by the army under your com- 
mand. It is therefore incumbent on me to inform 
you of the manner of his falling into your hands : He 
went up with a flag, at the request of General Arnold, 
on publick business with him, and had his permit to 
return by land to New York; under these circumstan- 
ces Major Andre cannot be detained by you, without 
the greatest violation of flags, and contrary to the cus- 
tom and usage of all nations, and as I imagine you 
will see this matter in the same point of view as I do, 
I must desire you will order him to be set at liberty, 
and allowed to return immediately. Every step 
Major Andre* took was by the advice and direction of 
General Arnold, even that of taking a feigned name, 
and of course not liable to censure for it. I am, Sir, 
not forgetting our former acquaintance, your very 
H. Sert. 

Bev. Robinson, Colo. 

Early in 1783 it became evident that the War of the 
Revolution was nearing its end. The King's speech at 
the opening of Parliament forecasted Articles of Peace 
and on the 19th of April Washington announced the 
cessation of hostilities between the United States of 
America and the King of Great Britain. The day pre- 
vious a schooner sailed up the Hudson to Newburgh, 
"the first American vessel which had come up the river 



142 The History of St. Philip's Church 

since the British took possession of New York in the year 
1776." 1 These conditions brought the English face to face 
with the problem of caring for the men of the Provincial 
Corps who had surrendered homes and occupations for 
the king. Some place of refuge where they could maintain 
themselves had to be provided, and in the month of April 
Beverly Robinson and Cruger, of De Lancey's Brigade, ad- 
dressed a circular to the commanding officers suggesting 
the dispatch of an agent to Nova Scotia "for the purpose 
of soliciting and securing grants of lands." 2 Sir Guy Carle- 
ton seconded their efforts by sending Thomas Wetmore 
of Westchester County to the country adjacent to Nova 
Scotia to lay out lands for the loyalists. His instructions 
were brief but to the point : " You are to provide an asylum 
for your distressed countrymen. Your task is arduous, 
execute it like a man of honor. The season for fighting 
is over — bury your animosities and persecute no man. 
Your ship is ready and God bless you." 3 

The land eventually selected was on the west side of 
the Bay of Fundy — a tract which had hitherto been 
peopled by a few Acadians and Indians. On that in- 
hospitable shore, in the autumn of 1783, some fourteen 
thousand souls landed. They were without shelter and 
short of food, but set about the task of turning the 
barren land into a garden. Amongst these refugees were 
not a few of the men of Beverly Robinson's regiments. 
The Fort Howe muster roll of September 25th, 1784, 
shows 95 men, 39 women, 77 children and 8 servants 
belonging to the Loyal Americans, and 176 either serving 

1 Heath's Memoirs of the American War, p. 387 

2 The Winslow Papers, p. 81. 

3 Ibid p. 508-9. 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 143 

in or dependent upon the Guides and Pioneers. 1 In- 
cluded in the number was the Rev. John Beardsley, 2 
former rector of Christ Church, Poughkeepsie, and 
chaplain to the regiment. 

Though Colonel Robinson did not accompany his men 
to New Brunswick there is reason to believe that such 
was his original intention; upon no other basis can we 
account for his appointment as a member of the King's 
Council for that Province. He, however, elected to 
spend his exile in Great Britain. 

From contemporary documentary evidence it would 
seem that the Robinsons were in financial straits through 
their devotion to the British cause. Nineteen days 
before he left the shores of America forever Colonel 
Robinson addressed to Sir Guy Carleton the following 
pathetic but dignified letter: 

1 The Winslow Papers, p. 244. 

2 Rev. John Beardsley was born April 23rd, 1732, at Rep ton, Conn., 
and was baptized by Rev. Dr. Samuel Johnson of Stratford. He studied 
for two years at Yale and then entered King's College of which Dr. 
Johnson had become first President. Proceeding to England he was 
ordained by Archbishop Seeker at Lambeth on August 23d, 1761, and 
on his return took charge of the churches at Norwich and Groton. For 
ten years he was Rector of Christ Church, Poughkeepsie, and Trinity, 
Fishkill. Mr. Beardsley was an ardent Tory and on December 13th, 
1777, was ordered by the Committee of Safety to remove to New York, 
which was then in the hands of the British. He then became chaplain 
to the Loyal American Regiment of which Beverly Robinson was 
Colonel. At the close of the War he migrated to Canada and for fifteen 
years was Rector of Christ Church, Maugerville, N. B. From 1793 to 
1802 he also served as chaplain to the King's New Brunswick Regiment 
commanded by Beverly Robinson, junior. The later years of his life 
were spent in retirement at Kingston, N. B., where he enjoyed a 
pension from the British Government. He died on his birthday, in 
1809, and was buried in the chancel of Trinity Church, Kingston. 



144 The History of St . Philip* s Church 

New York, June 6th, 1783. 
Sir, 

I beg leave to address your Excellency in this way 
and to lay before you my unhappy situation, having 
neither resolution nor Confidence to do it personally. 

The time for his Majesty's Troops finally quitting 
this place seems to be so near at hand, that I am under 
the greatest anxiety for the future Comfort and safety 
of my family; And would therefore wish with your 
Excellency's permission and approbation to go imme- 
diately with them to England. But, Sir, I must con- 
fess to you, that my circumstances are so very dis- 
tressing that I cannot leave this place, without some 
assistance from Government, to enable me to dis- 
charge those debts I have been under the necessity of 
Contracting since I joined the King's Army, incurred 
chiefly by raising a Regiment for the King's Service, 
which I have been endeavouring to pay off with all the 
savings I could make from my subsistence, but the 
necessary support of a large family has prevented me 
from Accomplishing of it as yet. 

I would therefore; humbly ask, that you would be 
pleased to advance me Six months pay for both my 
Commissions, from the 24th & 30th of this month. 
I am induced to make this applycation at present, 
because Cap* Sweney of the Assureance has not only 
Offered but presses us in the most friendly manner to 
go home with him, and I would wish to be ready, to 
accept of his kind offer, whenever he is Ordered to go. 

My son the Lieu* Col° will continue with the 
Reg*, He and my son John, a Lieu* will go with the 
Reg* to Nova-Scotia to join in the Settlement of that 
Country; my other Sons will follow the fate of the 
Regimt s they belong to. 

I would beg the leave of telling your Excellency that 
I have lost as good an Estate by this Unhappy War as 
most people in this Province very few Excepted, 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 145 

But I never had any Idea nor the least Expectation 
that Goverm* would or indeed could repay me for 
those losses should the war End in the unhappy man- 
ner it has ; But Sir, I always hoped and Expected that 
one who had Sacrificed so much property not by being 
a nominal & passive Loyalist; but by taking an Active 
part, from the very first rise of the Rebellion, in favor 
of the King & Constitution of Great Britain, and ever 
endeavouring to restore their Authority in this Coun- 
try, would not be neglected, but have some provision 
made for him that would give his family a Comfort- 
able Support during their lives; I shall with great 
Humility Submit myself intirely to y r Excellency's 
direction, being with the greatest Esteem & Respect 
Y r Excellency's 
mo* Ob* & mo 8 Hum 1 Ser* 
Sir Guy Carleton, K.B. &c. Bev. Robinson 1 

What answer was made to this we do not know, but 
Ward Chipman writes to Edward Winslow from New 
York under date of June 25th, 1783: "Col. Robinson and 
his family are sailed for England in the Lion." 2 

Mr. Robinson departed with commendatory letters 
from the Governor to Lord North and Sir George 
Yonge, Bart. The former reads as follows: 

My Lord, June 17th > 1783 

Colonel Beverly Robinson of the loyal American 
Regiment who will have the Honour of delivering this 

1 Manuscripts in the Royal Institution of Great Britain, London, 
1777-1783. American Loyalists — Transcript of various Papers relating 
to the Losses, Services and Support of the American Loyalists and to his 
Majesty's Provincial Forces during the War of American Independence, 
preserved amongst the American Manuscripts in the Royal Institution 
of Great Britain, London. 1777-1783. Transcribed for the New York 
Public Library, 1903. Vol. V, p. 4.5-7. 

2 Winslow Papers, p. 198. 



146 The History of St. Philip's Church 

letter is a gentleman greatly distinguished for his 
Probity and general worth and whose Possessions in 
this Country were very large and whose Family was 
numerous and bred up in expectations of oppulence 
& Honour. It is among the severest Calamities of the 
Time that a Gentleman of this Description should be 
obliged with the Female Part of his Family to seek aid 
and Protection in a Country to which the simplicity 
of his Manners may not perfectly Correspond but I 
entertain no Doubt that your Lordship's Reception 
of Him will be such as to soften those Evils which on 
account of his Truth & unshaken loyalty & Fidelity 
he is obliged to undergo, 

Guy Carleton. 1 
R* hobl e Lord North. 

On his arrival in London he took up his residence at 
Mortlake on the river Thames. His situation is best 
summed up in the words of his memorial: • 

His family now with him in England consists of his 
Wife, one Son and two daughters most tenderly 
brought up, and these with himself driven from the 
enjoyment of every part of his valuable property, of 
which there remains no hope of recovr 7 to a family 
that has taken so decided a part in the Cause of their 
Sovereign and the British Constitution 
thus reduced from ease and affluence to his present 
State, the pleasing Expectations of his family de- 
stroyed and at an advanced age period of life com- 
pelled with them to seek a new residence and the 
means of support; your Memorialist can only find 
consolation in that distinguished benignity & attention 
invariably shewn by his Majesty to his unfortunate 
Loyal American subjects; and in full Confidence that 
the Justice of the British Nation will never leave those 

1 Royal Institution MSS., American Loyalists, Vol. V, p. 193. 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 



147 



to suffer who have sacrificed their all in her Cause & 
Interest." 1 

In all fairness it should be stated that the government 
of Great Britain was not slow to recognize its great 
obligation to the Loyalists, and a tribunal was created 
to hear and adjust claims for losses and services and to 
award compensation. Beverly Robinson's memorial was 
filed on December 11th, 1783. It is a lengthy and ex- 
tremely interesting document. Compensation was claim- 
ed for the loss of personal and real estate, and as 
the schedules afford valuable data for the study of 
economic conditions in pre-Revolutionary times, they 
are here reproduced: 

Inventory of the Personal Property of Beverly Robinson 
all of which he has lost by the Rebellion in North 
America. 



Principal Sums due on Mortgages, 

Bonds and Notes from Sundry 

persons as per Schedule 

Interest due thereon to May 1st, 

1777. 

Principal sums due on Bonds & 

Notes from his Tenants, 

Interest due thereon to the 1st 

May, 1777, 

Rents due from his Tenants to 1st 

May, 1777, 

My half of a large Grist Mill, Saw 

Mill & Potash works in partnership 

with Col: Roger Morris built on 

his lot at Philips Town— Cost 3000 



6830- 8-4 



1788- 2-4 8618-10-8 



7191-17-4 



1338- 0-4 8529-17-8 



2754-15-0 



my half is 



1500- 0-0 



1 Audit Office, American Loyalists MSS., Vol. XLIII, p. 207. 



148 The History of St. Philip's Church 



My half of goods & other effects 

in a store kept in our joint accounts 

at said Mills by Thomas Henderson 

as per Estimate 4000- 0-0 5500- 0-0 

Eight Negroes Viz d 

Harry a young fellow 19 years old 80- 0-0 

Rose a young Wench 20 do 60- 0-0 

Coobaugh do 20 do 60- 0-0 

Belinda do 18 do 60- 0-0 

Sarah do 18 do 60- 0-0 

Phillis do 15 do 50- 0-0 

Candis do 15 do 50- 0-0 

Clarinda do 13 do 50- 0-0 



470- 0-0 1 



Stock, Grain & farming Utensils. 
4 pair of large Oxen at £18 £72 

3 Pair young Oxen @ 15 45 

18 Cows @ 5 90 

1 Large Bull 10 
10 young Cattle 3 years old @ 3 30 
8 do 2 do @ 30/ 12 
100 Sheep on my farm; 100 do put out 

to sundry people @ 8/ 80- 0-0 

6 Horses & Mares @ 16 96- 0-0 

2 Fillies rising 4 @ 29 40- 0-0 
2 Horse Colts rising 2 & 3 years 

@ 20 40-0-0 

250 Bushels of Wheat @ 7/ 87-10-0 



259- 0-0 



233- 0-0 



1 In the State records at Albany there is preserved the following 
account: State of New York 

To Commissioners of Alms Houses in the City 
of New York. 
To support of Jenny, Slave formerly belonging to the Estate of Bev. 
Robinson from the 1st of May, 1805, to the 1st of August, 1808, is three 
years and three months @ $36 per annum is $117. 

I do hereby certify and approve of the above as a good account. 

22d August, 1808. 

DE WITT CLINTON. 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 



149 



350 do Indian Corn @ 3/6 
300 do Oats @ 2/ 

100 do Rye @ 4/ 

Ploughs, Carts, Slays, Waggons 
and other Farming Utensils 
A new Sloop 65 Tons, built at my 
own Dock, cost upwards of 
Household furniture as p Inven- 
tory made out by Mrs Robinson 

At 4/6 Per Doll r is Sterling 

With respect to the rest of the Per- 
sonal Estate (Viz) Negroes, Stock, 
Grain, farming Utensils, Sloop 
and furniture, I have not at present 
any proof of the particulars but 
have put them down from recol- 
lection. 

Bev: Robinson. 



61- 5-0 
30- 0-0 
20- 0-0 



195-15-0 



100- 0-0 



650- 0-0 



1000- 0-0 

28413-18-4 

£15982-16-0 



Valuation of the Real Estate. 

30359 Acres of Settled Lands 

@ 3 p Acre £91077-0-0 

29595 do of unsettled do 

@ 15/ do 22196-0-0 

59954 whole No of Acres £113,273-5-0 

A large Lot of Ground in New 

York on which I had a very 

good house, Stables &c but as 

the house was burnt in the great 

fire that happened when Sir Wm. 

Howe first took possession of the 

City the value of the house &c 

is ommitted the ground is worth . . 500-0-0 



Sterling 



150 The History of St. Philip's Church 

New York Curren cy 113,775-5-0 
which at 4/6 p Dollar is 63996-7-0 

Currency Sterling 

Amount of Real 

Estate 113,773-5-0 @ 4/6 p Doll is 63097- 7-0 

do Personal 

do 28413-18/4 do 15982-16-0 

142,187-3-4 £79,980- 3-0 



It is not surprising that many fraudulent claims were 
filed against the government, but a careful study of Bev- 
erly Robinson's brief impresses one greatly with its 
moderation. There is no suggestion of any effort to 
obtain greater compensation than his losses justified. It 
would be difficult to find a fairer statement of claim. 
The schedules contain the name of every tenant on the 
estate; the rents paid for the farms; the detail of every 
Bond, Mortgage and Note with the interest thereon; 
and a list of the debts owing by Mr. Robinson, together 
with a full and clear estimate of his annual income. 

The Royal Commissioners subjected every claim to the 
most rigid scrutiny. In each case the claimant appeared 
in person and was required, where possible, to produce 
witnesses in support of his statements. This naturally 
consumed considerable time and Robinson's case was 
not reached for two years. It was heard on December 
16th, 1785. Sir Henry Clinton appeared personally to 
testify to the military services and certificates were pre- 
sented from Lords Cornwallis and Rawdon. As far as 
the valuation of the lands was concerned, there testified 
William Smith, ex- Justice of the Supreme Court of New 
York; John Kane, who kept a country store at Pawling, 
in Dutchess County; Malcom Morrison, a former tenant 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 151 

on Lot No. 7, and Captain Duncan Campbell of the 84th 
Regiment of Foot, who had purchased land in Fredricks- 
burgh from Mr. Robinson in 1770. How Beverly 
Robinson fared during these two years may be gathered 
from a letter he wrote to Edward Winslow 1 , then in 
Nova Scotia, — a letter which is full of interest, both 
personally and politically: 

Mortlake (in Surrey) Apr. 29th, 1784. 
Dear Sir, 

I wrote you on the 19th Instant inclosing some 
Letters and Newspapers for Beverly. I also wrote 
you the same day by Mr Goodall, recommending 
him to your notice as a friend of mine; he is a 
merchant in London & is gone to Canada to settle 
some matters there & will visit Halifax about Aug't 
next when he will deliver you my letter. 

I now again take the liberty of troubling you with 
the inclosed letters for my boys, and beg you will be 
so good as to forward them. The large package, 
marked newspapers, you are welcome to open & 
peruse if you have none by any other Channel so late, 
What can I say to you about Politics? I can say 
nothing but what you will see in the papers, and 
therefore must refer you to them, and they contain 
nothing but about Elections. The Election for West- 
minster has now been warmly contested for 25 days . 

1 Edward Winslow was a descendant of the first Governor of 
Plymouth Colony. He graduated from Harvard in 1765, and at the 
Revolution remained loyal to the Crown. Appointed by General 
Gage to be Collector to the Port of Boston, he left that city on its 
evacuation and went to New York, where he was gazetted Muster 
Master-General of the Loyalist Forces. After the War he spent some 
time in England. He accumulated a vast store of letters and papers 
on the Revolution, a selection from which was published by the New 
Brunswick Historical Society in 1901, under the able editorship of 
the Rev. Dr. W. O. Raymond. 



152 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Lord Hood carries it hollow, but the Struggle is very 
hard between Mr Fox & Sir Cecil Wray; for the 
first two or three days Fox was ahead, the next 12 or 
14 Sir Cecil lead, for a week past Fox got ahead again 
& was yesterday 41 before the Knight, and most 
people think he will carry it, mearly by Industry and 
Good Management; at any rate there will be a Scrut- 
iny demanded let who will be foremost at the end of 
the poll, & that they tell me will take up six months, 
and in that case none of the three will sit in the Par- 
liament the next Session. The members of the last 
Opposition have lost their Elections almost every- 
where, and it is thought Mr Pitt will have a great 
majority. I hope he will not take Lord S(helburne) 
into the ministry which has been talked of some time. 
The Affairs of the Loyalists goes on but slowly; 
these troublesome Elections have taken up the time & 
attention of the Commissioners for some time but 
they are going on again: they seem to take great 
pains and pay attention to our unhappy situation, 
but they have a troublesome and difficult task to go 
thro\ Many very Extraordinary Claims are given in, 
such as you would be astonished to see. I have not 
had my hearing yet & don't expect it in less than two 
months, so many there are before me; but what ap- 
pears very extra'y to me they will not enter upon 
Examination of any Claims given by Attorneys, but 
say every person who makes any demand on Govern- 
ment must apply in person. However they rec'd 
the claims into their office in order to keep them alive, 
that they may not be totally excluded according to the 
Act of Parliament, and the matter of hearing them by 
Attorneys will be determined hereafter, which they 
certainly must do, there are so many claims given in 
by Attorneys that it would be a very unjust thing to 
throw them out unless the principal came here. As 
the matter is like to be so very tedious, the Com- 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 153 

miss'rs have recommended, I believe, most that have 
applyed for a temporary support from £40 to £200 a 
year, which is the highest they can go. I have been 
under the necessity of asking for such a support and 
they have allowed me £200 a year commencing ye 
5th of Jan'y last in addition to my half pay, which 
makes me nearly full pay. 

I have the pleasure to tell you we are all hearty and 
well and join in our respects to you, and pray remem- 
ber us to Gen. Campbell & Captain Addenbough & 
believe me, 

Your sincere friend, &c, 

Bev. Robinson. 1 

The Royal Commissioners were confronted with the 
most difficult task of adjudicating on 5,072 claims 
totalling $50,411,000. Among the number of claims 
were fifty from Dutchess County, and the Loyalist losses 
in New York were estimated at $10,000,000. It was 
impossible to pay these amounts in full. The award of 
the Commissioners to Beverly Robinson is scheduled as 
follows : 

Claim for loss of property £68,784 

Sum originally allowed £25,900 

allowed on Revision 24,764 

Percentage to be deducted by 

Act of Parliament 1,476 8 

Total sum to pay under Act 

of Parliament £23,287 12 2 

To this must be added the sum of £800 allowed 
to Susannah Robinson presumably as compensation 
for personal losses. 

1 Winslow Papers, p. 197-9. 

2 American Loyalists, Vol. XI, p. 

Cf. Flick, Loyalism in New York during the Revolution, 203-214. 



154 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Colonel Robinson lived but a few years after his 
arrival in England. There is reason to believe that after 
his affairs were settled, he and his family took up an 
abode in Bath, where he died on the 9th day of April, 
1792, in the 71st year of his age. His remains were 
interred in St. James' Church of that city. Mrs. 
Robinson survived her husband for thirty years. After 
his death she, with those of her children who were with 
her in England, removed to Thornbury, Gloucestershire, 
where she resided until her death, which occurred on 
November 22d, 1822. Her remains were laid to rest in 
the body of the parish church. On the restoration of the 
church in 1847 they were re-interred in the churchyard. 
The following inscription is, by the courtesy of the Vicar 
of Thornbury, copied from a tablet on the walls of the 
church: 

Sacred 

to the memory of 

COLONEL BEVERLY ROBINSON 

who died at Bath 

on the 9th day of April 1792 

in the 71st year of his age 

and was interred in 

St. James'es Church of that City 

and of 

SUSANNA HIS WIFE 

who after a residence in this Town 

during her Widowhood of 30 years 

died on the 22nd of November 1822 

And was interred in 

the body of this Church. 

This Tablet is erected 

As a tribute of affection 

by their grateful Children. 



CHAPTER VI 

ST. PETER'S CHURCH AND ST. PHILIP'S CHAPEL 
WARDENS AND VESTRYMEN 

1770-1840 

(continued) 

AT the outset of parochial life the custom was in 
y\^ augurated of choosing one Warden from each 
section of the parish. Accordingly CHARLES 
MOORE (1770-71) of Peekskill was selected as colleague 
to Beverly Robinson, and at the first Vestry meeting he 
was entrusted with the Seal of the Corporation. This 
family of Moores in America was descended from Sir John 
Moore of Fawley, Berkshire, who was knighted by 
Charles I on the 21st of May, 1627. The fortunes of 
the house waned with the execution of the king, and 
some members migrated to America. The Hon. John 
Moore of Philadelphia married Lady Arabella Axtell. 
His son, also named John, was born in South Carolina in 
1686 and married Frances Lambert in 1714. The latter 
became a man of considerable importance in New York 
He lived at White Hall, at the corner of Moore and 
Front Street, the house which Peter Stuy vesant had built 
for himself prior to 1661. His country seat was in the 
Highlands of the Hudson, on land which was acquired 
partly by purchase and partly by patent, and was after- 
wards sold to the Government as a site for West Point 
Military Academy. Colonel Moore filled many responsi- 



156 The History of St. Philip's Church 

ble positions in the colony of New York. He was an 
Alderman of the city; a member of the King's Council 
and of the Colonial Legislature. He also commanded 
his Majesty's New York City Regiment. To these civic 
and military duties he added that of Vestryman and 
Warden of Trinity parish from 1715 to 1728. 1 

Colonel Moore was blessed with eighteen children, 
thirteen of whom were sons. Thomas, the seventh son, 
was the father of Richard Channing Moore, the great 
evangelical Bishop of Virginia. Charles, the sixteenth 
child and Warden of the United Churches, was born in 
1732, and served in the medical department of the War 
of 1756. He afterwards engaged in business at Peekskill 
as a miller and resided in one of the Moore houses at 
West Point. At the time of the British attack on Forts 
Montgomery and Clinton a party of seamen raided the 
house of Thomas Moore and "his family fled to Mr. 
Charles Moore's for protection." 2 It is supposed that 
towards the close of the War of the Revolution, Charles, 
who favored the cause of the king, fled to North Carolina, 
where he spent the rest of his life. 

DANIEL BIRDSALL (1772-3) became a member of 
the Vestry in 1771, and the following year succeeded 
Charles Moore as one of the Wardens. He was born on 
January 17th, 1734, and on December 20th, 1757, mar- 
ried Hannah, daughter of Jacob Mandeville, in whose 

1 Six Centuries of the Moores of Fawley, by David Moore Hall, 
pp. 34-8. 

2 Memoir of Rt. Rev. Richard Channing Moore, by Bishop 
Henshaw, p. 25. 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 157 

house the first Church services in the Highlands were 
held. Mr. Birdsall was a prominent merchant of his 




day and one of the founders of Peekskill, where he 
occupied the first store built in the village. He was a 
generous and ardent supporter of the American cause in 
the Revolution and was rewarded by many positions of 
honor and influence. In 1775 he was one of "The Asso- 
ciation," and served on the "Committee for the County" 
from Cortlandt Manor. Two years later he was appoint- 
ed Second Lieutenant of the Fifth Battalion of the New 
York Continental Regiment. The historic "Birdsall 
House" was a well known rendezvous for officers of the 
American Army. His brother-in-law, John Mandeville, 
kept an inn, and when no room could be found for the 
officers they migrated to the house of Daniel Birdsall, it 
becoming in turn the headquarters of Generals Mc- 
Dougall and Heath. He survived the Declaration of 
Independence for twenty-four years, and is buried in the 
churchyard of old St. Peter's, where the inscription on 
his tombstone reads: 

In Memory Of 

DANIEL BIRDSALL 

who departed this life 

October 29th, 1800. 

Aged 65 years, 9 months and 13 days. 

The last Warden to be elected before the stress of the 
War closed the Churches was JEREMIAH DRAKE 



158 The History of St. Philip's Church 

(1774), who was one of the members of the building com- 
mittee of St. Peter's in 1767, and served on the Vestry 
from 1770. Born in the year 1726, he was a Cortland- 
town farmer, and a soldier of the Revolution. From 
1778 to 1781 he served in the Militia under Colonel 
Drake, and in the latter year his name stands on the 
pay roll of Ebenezer Boyd as a guard on the North river 
in Westchester County, for which he received £10-6-2. 1 
He died on the 6th of May, 1784. 

From 1775 until 1790 there is no recorded election of 
Wardens and Vestry, but in the latter year the name of 
WILLIAM DENNING (1790-93) appears as senior 
Warden. After three years 5 service, owing to residence 
in New York City for the major part of the year, he 
retired from the Vestry until 1812, when he was elected a 
Vestryman and served until 1817. Mr. Denning hailed 
from Newfoundland and in New York became a prom- 
inent merchant and political leader. During the Revo- 
lution he served as a member of the Provincial Congress, 
the State Senate and the Council of Appointment. He 
was also a delegate to the Hartford Convention. His 
association with the parish was brought about in 1785 
by his purchase from the Commissioners of Forfeiture 
of a considerable portion of the Beverly Robinson proper- 
ty, including the historic homestead. 2 He succeeded 
not only to the estate but also to the parochial leadership. 
He donated an additional acre of land to St. Philip's 

1 MSS. of New York in the Revolution, Vol. XIII, folio 179. 

2 The records of the County show that on May 23d, 1785, David 
Graham, as Commissioner of Forfeiture, sold under an Act of 1784, 
2 parcels of land on Lot No. 1, one of 3,346 and the other of 48 
acres, the consideration being £337 8 0. 




WILLIAM DENNING 

Church Warden, 1790-1793 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 159 

Church, and rendered invaluable service in the State 
Legislature which restored the glebe farm to the parish 
in 1792, besides being a large contributor toward the 
cost of restoring St. Philip's after its devastation in the 
War. Mr. Denning died on October 30th, 1819, at the 
age of eighty, and was interred in St. Paul's Church- 
yard, in the city of New York. 

For several years it was the custom to elect one Warden 
from each of the two Churches, and CALEB WARD 
(1790-2, 1797-9) was chosen from the Manor of Cortlandt. 
The son of John Ward, he was born in East Chester on 






November 11th, 1728, and was by occupation a farmer. 
He married Mary Drake, whose brother Jeremiah was 
Warden of the parish in 1774. Mr. Ward died at 
Cortlandtown on the 16th of May, 1802, in the seventy- 
fourth year of his age. 

The election as Warden in 1793 of PIERRE VAN 
CORTLANDT (1793) links the parish with the Manor 
on which the old Church was built. The founder of 
the family, which has for its motto Virtus sibi Munus, 
was the Right Hon. Steven Van Cortlandt of South 
Holland. One of his descendants, Oloff Stephensen 
Van Cortlandt, was attached to the military service of 
the Dutch West India Company, and in 1637 "He comes 
to New York," 1 where he became a thorn in the flesh of 
Governor Peter Stuyvesant. His son, Stephanus, be- 
came the first American-born Mayor of the City of New 

1 Bolton's History of Westchester County, Vol. I, p. 99. 



160 The History of St. Philip's Church 

York, and the first Lord of the Manor of Cortlandt. 
Major Pierre Van Cortlandt, a son of Philip by his wife 
Catharine De Peyster, was born on January 10th, 1721. 
He played a large and influential part in the Revolution, 
and in the upbuilding of the infant State of New York, 
and was Colonel of the North Battalion of Westchester 
County. Politically he held almost every office in the 
gift of the people. A member of the second, third and 
fourth Provincial Congresses, and of the convention of 
the State of New York, he was President of the Council 
of Safety in 1777 and Senator from the Southern District 
the same year, and for eighteen years he occupied the 
exalted position of Lieutenant-Governor of the State of 
New York. 

On his death, which occurred at Croton River on May 
1st, 1814, in the ninety-fourth year of his age, the follow- 
ing beautiful tribute was paid to his worth in the public 
press: 

Pierre Van Cortlandt early took an active part 
against every oppression of the English Government 
upon the Colonies. He was chosen into the first Pro- 
vincial Congress, was a member of the committee 
which formed the Constitution of this State, and was 
honored by the suffrages of his county at the first elec- 
tion under the new government of the station of 
Lieutenant-Governor, and continued to be elected 
to that office for eighteen years successively. He was 
the friend and confidant of that great patriot, George 
Clinton. In the Revolution he shared the fate of the 
friends of their country; his family were obliged to 
abandon their homes in the Manor of Cortlandt, and 
take refuge in the interior. Firm and undismayed 




LIEUTENANT-GOVERNOR PIERRE VAN CORTLANDT 
Church Warden, 1793 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 161 

in adversity, the ill success of our arms was a stimulus 
to greater exertions. He was one of those who, rely- 
ing on the justice of their cause, put their trust in God 
and stood firm at the post of danger. In prosperity 
he was not too much elated but held a temperate and 
uniform course, having in view only the independence 
of the United States and the safety of his country. 

In the Senate of this State he presided with dig- 
nity and propriety, nor ever suffered his opinion to be 
known until called upon constitutionally to decide; 
and his vote was then given with promptness, unin- 
fluenced by party feelings, and evidencing the con- 
victions of a sound and honest mind. 1 

SILVANUS HAIGHT (1795-6) entered the Vestry in 
1790, served for four years, and in 1795 was chosen one 
of the Wardens. He was a son of Joseph Haight by his 
wife Hannah Wright, and was born at Rye, N. Y. He 
married Martha Nelson. In 1791 he was Treasurer of 
the United Churches. Haight was a strong Tory, and 
prior to 1778 lived on the Beverly Robinson place. Writ- 
ing from "Robinson's" to Governor Clinton on March 
10th, 1778, General Parsons says, "Silvanus Haight has 
gone to ye enemy and left his family." 2 For some 
time he w T as a prisoner in Fort Clinton, where Colonel 
Malcom says of him, "I apprehend Haight 's case as a 
bad one." At the close of the War he was set at 
liberty and was active in parochial affairs, and w T as for 
a time the tenant of the Glebe farm. He died at Troy, 
N. Y. 

1 Gazette, May 17th, 1814. 

2 Clinton Papers, Vol. Ill, p. 15. 



162 The History of St. Philip' s Church 

CALEB MORGAN (1795-6), a farmer of Cortlandtown, 
was first elected to the Vestry in 1772, and served at 
intervals for seven years. During the War of the 
Revolution he was a strong supporter of the British 
cause and his name appears in the list of Westchester 
Tories. On June 15th, 1776, together with Joshua Purdy 



(J%/*Ljp rU ' 



and Peter Corney, he was arrested and imprisoned in 
White Plains Jail by order of the Commissioners for 
Detecting Conspiracies. 1 He died at Yorktown, July, 1838. 
JOSHUA NELSON (1797-9) was one of the original 
members of the Vestry from the Philipse Precinct. He 
served from 1770 until the Revolution and was again 
elected on the resumption of parochial activities in 1790, 
and seven years later he became one of the Wardens. 
The Nelsons were among the early settlers in what was 
then the Southeast part of Dutchess County. Joshua 
was the fifth son of Francis Nelson, who "came to y e 

South part of Dutchess County in y e Highlands" from 
Scarsdale in the year 1736. He was born at Scarsdale 
on September 18th, 1726, and married Sarah, daughter of 
Jacob Mandeville, in 1754, thus becoming a brother-in- 
law of Daniel Birdsall. He lived in the Mandeville 
house at the "Four Corners," where the first Church ser- 
vices were held. He took a prominent part in public life. 

1 Calendar of Historical MSS., 1664-1776, p. 341, 455. 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 163 

In 1774-5 he was one of the Assessors for the Philipse 
Precinct, and the following year was elected Supervisor. 
An ardent Revolutionist, in 1776 he was chosen second 
Major of the Militia by the Committee of Public Safety. 
He died on December 14th, 1817, in his ninety-first year, 
and is buried in the churchyard of St. Philip's. 

DANIEL WILLIAM BIRDSALL (1800, 1804, 1811, 
1821-5, 1829) of Peekskill became a Vestryman in 1797, 
and Warden three years later, his service on the Vestry 
covering a period of twenty-one years. He was the fifth 
child of Daniel Birdsall, who was Warden in 1772, and 
was born on the 27th of October, 1767. He was one of 

the Commissioners for laying out the first turnpike road, 
under an act of the Legislature of the State, in Putnam 
County, and in 1811 served as Supervisor for Cortland- 
town. For nineteen years he was Post Master of Peeks- 
kill, and Town Clerk for four years. He died May 11th, 
1850, and, side by side with his four wives, lies buried in 
the churchyard of old St. Peter's. 

JAMES MANDEVILLE (1801-3, 1805-7) was first 
elected to the Vestry in the year 1800, and, with an inter- 
val of two years, served until 1834. His ancestry was 
Dutch. The first of the family to settle in America was 
Yellis Jansen de Mandeville who came from Holland in 
the good ship "de Trouw" (the Faith) in 1659, and who 
owned a farm on the land now lying between Fourteenth 
and Twenty -first streets in New York City. James was 
a son of Cornelius, and a nephew to Jacob Mandeville. 



164 The History of St. Philip's Church 

He married 1st, Martha Westcott and 2nd, Hannah 
Stymes. He was a farmer and succeeded his brother 
John as an innkeeper in what is now the heart of Peek- 
skill. He was also a soldier of the Revolution, serving 
as a private in the Continental troops under Captain 
Daniel Williams. Born in 1758, he died December 21st, 
1848. 

MAJOR BERNARD HANLON (1808-10, 1812-20) 
served as Warden for ten years. For a man who occu- 
pied that position surprisingly little is known of him. 
His name appears in the electoral census returns of the 
town of Cortlandt in 1801 as certified by David Stanley, 
Jr. 1 ; and in the census of 1807 "Bernerd Handlin" is 
returned as possessed of a freehold of the value of one 
hundred pounds. Prior to coming to Peekskill he lived 
in Hunterdon County, New Jersey. A body of men was 
raised in that State to serve the United States Govern- 
ment during the Pennsylvania insurrection of 1794, and 
the records show that, on September 13th, Bernard Han- 
Ion was appointed Captain of a company of Light Infan- 
try. He served for three months and was discharged on 
December 24th. 2 

PIERRE VAN CORTLANDT (1827-1839) was first 
elected to the Vestry in the year 1820, and was Warden 
at the time the parish was divided. He was born the 
29th of August, 1762, and married Catherine Taylor, 
subsequently, Anne Stevenson. In the year 1800 he was 
appointed a member of the Electoral College, and, with 

1 Electoral Census MSS., 1801, Vol. VI, p. 1700. 

2 Records of Officers and Men of New Jersey in Wars 1791- 
1815, p 43. 



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GENERAL PIERRE VAN CORTLANDT 

Church Warden, 1827-1839 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 165 

the other New York electors, cast his vote for Thomas 
Jefferson as President in the famous contest, when 
Aaron Burr received an equal number of votes. 1 He 
served as a member of Congress in 1811 and 1812 and 
died in 1848. 

VESTRYMEN. 

THOMAS DAVENPORT (1770-71) came of an 
English family who were among the earliest settlers of the 
southern portion of Dutchess County (now Putnam). 
Thomas Davenport, Sr., born in 1682, came from Eng- 
land about the year 1715, and later settled in the High- 
lands, occupying a large farm now covered by the village 
of Cold Spring. He died December 30th, 1759, aged 
seventy-seven years. His two sons, William and Thom- 
as, were men of considerable prominence in the commun- 
ity. In 1772 Thomas was a "fence- viewer" for the town 
of Philipstown, and also "Highway Master from Caleb 
Nelson's to his house and from thence through the woods 
to the Post road near Elijah Budd's." 2 His will was 
dated September 29th, 1797. 

JOHN JOHNSON (1770-73) is another of the members 
of the first Vestry of whom little is now known, beyond 
the fact that he lived in Peekskill, and that in the min- 
utes of 1772 he is called "Captain." He has, however, 
the distinction of being the first in the long line of Clerks 
of the Vestry, which at its earliest recorded meeting 
"proceeded to chuse Mr. John Johnson Clark for the 
ensuing year." 

1 New York Civil List, 1878, p. 348. 

2 Smith's History of Dutchess County, p. 461. 



166 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Another of the early Peekskill Vestrymen was HENRY 
PURDY (1770-1) who was a farmer on the Manor of 
Cortlandt. All the Purdys were strong Tories, and 
Henry paid the penalty of his devotion to the Royal 
cause by having his property sequestered and sold. He 
died in 1782. 

PETER DRAKE (1772-4) lived in the Highlands 
on Lot No. 4, occupying a farm for which he paid a 
rent of £3 6 per annum, and his name appears in the 
tax list of the Philipse Precinct for 1777. He was Over- 
seer of the Poor in the southern part of Dutchess County 
in 1762. In 1774 Peter Drake was appointed by the 
Vestry "to go about the Manor of Cortlandt for sub- 
scription toward the support of the minister/ ' and was 
guaranteed a commission of seven per cent. 

DAVID PENOYER (1772-3) was of Huguenot de- 
scent and resided at Peekskill, and was employed by the 
Vestry to "do the carpenter work on the Citchen and 
Piazor of the parsonage" in 1773. 

FRANCIS PEMART (1772-4) who was a pre-revolu- 
tionary Vestryman, was a substantial merchant in 
Peekskill, a large freeholder, and a man of wealth. He 
owned a farm of 195 acres on the Manor of Cortlandt 
together with five dwelling houses, two store-houses 
and a barn, and another farm of 26 acres in Peekskill 
which he purchased from Jeremiah Drake. To these 
he added a sloop of 113 tons burthen which he sailed 
from a dock known as "Pemart's dock." According to 
his own statement he was born at sea and for the first six 
years of his life resided in France. Pemart is a striking 
example of the many men who managed to serve on both 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 167 

sides during the War of the Revolution. It is a matter 
of official record that in July, 1776, he associated himself 
with James Spock and William Penoyer in an application 
to the Provincial Congress for leave to form a company of 
artillery in support of the American cause. 1 We also 
have his own sworn statement to the fact that one of his 
farms was used as a forage camp for the American troops 
and that he himself served as forage-master at the pay of 
a dollar a day. There is abundant reason to believe that 
he was a British spy for he says that he occupied the 
position "with an intention of serving the loyalists." It 
is more than likely that he was in the pay pf Beverly 
Robinson, who was then at the head of the British 
Intelligence department, and who had known Pemart 
on the Vestry. 

In March, 1777, Colonel Bird arrived in Peekskill at 
the head of a detachment of 1000 British troops and 
several pieces of cannon and drove out General McDougal 
whose force numbered but £50 men. Pemart took ad- 
vantage of the opportunity to join the British forces and 
returned with them to New York where he remained 
until the declaration of peace. During the remainder 
of the war he was employed as a pilot for English ships 
on the North River. Upon the complaint of Captain 
James Cronkhite he was indicted for treason before the 
Grand Jury at a term of the Court of General Sessions 
held at the Meeting House in Upper Salem on the seventh 
of November, 1781. Pemart's property was confiscated, 
and his sloop was taken to Esopus Creek. In October, 
1783, he set sail for St. John, N. B., to make arrangements 

1 Calendar of Historical MSS. in the War of the Revolution, 
Vol. I, p. 473. 



168 The History of St. Philip' s Church 

for the settlement of himself and family in that region. 
This accomplished, he returned to New York, arriving a 
few days after the British evacuation of the city. The 
American authorities had not forgotten the loss of their 
valuable stores on his Peekskill farm and he was promptly 
arrested and languished in prison for five months. On 
his release he again departed for New Brunswick where 
he arrived in the latter part of 1784. There he filed a 
claim on the British government for compensation for 
losses and services. 1 His losses he estimated at £1621- 
11-0, and he was eventually awarded the sum of £700. 2 

Another obstinate Tory was PETER CORNEY (1774), 
who hailed from Cortlandt. Corney was arrested, taken 
before the "Committee on Conspiracies" and permitted 
to remove to Long Island. 3 The local committee of 
Westchester County stepped in and sequestered and 
sold his lands in 1777. At a subsequent date he returned 
to the parish, for the New York Packet of December 26th, 
1785, contains the announcement of the marriage of 
" Peter Corney, Esq., of Peekskill to Mrs. Van Dam, 
widow of the late Isaac Van Dam of St. Eustatia, on 
Wednesday morning, December 21, 1785." 

When the Vestry re-organized in 1790 the name of 
JAMES SPOCK (1790-6) of Peekskill appears as a 

Vestryman. He was a miller at the Robinson mill, near 
Continental Village. During the War he served as a 

1 American Loyalists MSS., Vol. XX, p. 95-106. 

2 Ibid, Vol. XI, p. 256. 

3 Scharfs History of Westchester County, Vol. I, p. 290. 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 169 

private in the third regiment of the Westchester County 
Militia. A note in the Journal of the Rev. Silas Con- 
stant under the date of December 12th, 1798, says: 

To Mr. Spock's — Married Joshua Nelson and 
Amelia Spock. 

Born in 1740, he died in 1804, and with his wife, Mary, 
was buried in St. Peter's Churchyard. 

RICHARD ARNOLD (1790-1) was a tenant on the 
Beverly Robinson estate, on Lot No. 1, before the War, 
for which he paid a rental of £2-0-0 per annum. The 
farm was in the immediate neighborhood of St. Philip's 
Chapel and adjacent to Jacob Mandeville's. He received 
compensation for damages to the amount of £249-10-0 
about which he writes the following letter dated May 
30th, 1786: 

Sir, 

Please pay to Benjamin Rose, or order, whatever 
certificates are due to me for the Rales and timber 
taken by the army of the United States from my 
farm during the late war, 

Richard Arnold. 1 

JARVIS DUSENBURY (1790-93) was a son of Moses 
Dusenbury by his wife Elizabeth Mudge. In 1790 and 
1791 he was one of the lay representatives of the parish 

to the Diocesan Convention. He was a business man, 
and served in Captain Lane's company of the West- 
chester County Militia. When the Parish was incor- 

1 MSS. of New York in the Revolution, Vol. L, p. 100. 



170 The History of St. Philip's Church 

porated under the State laws in 1791 the Vestry "did ap- 
point Jarvis Dusenbury to appear before the Judge and 
git it acknowledged." He married Elizabeth Denton on 
May 29th, 1736, and came to Peekskill from Tarrytown 
soon after the War of the Revolution. 

ISAAC DAVENPORT (1792-7) was elected to the 
Vestry from the Highlands. The son of Thomas Daven- 
port the 2nd, he was born on what is now the de Rham 
place on March 28th, 1748. He married Elizabeth 
Huestis, and occupied a farm where Cold Spring now 
stands. He died on the 18th of March, 1808. 

Of BENJAMIN WARD (1793) nothing is known save 
that he lived at Peekskill. 

HENRY ROMER (1794) came of a family that 
played a large local part in the Revolution. His father, 
Jacob Romer, kept the tavern at Greenburgh, where the 
captors of Major Andre breakfasted on the morning of 
September 23d, 1780. Henry was born on June 17th, 
1755, and was baptized in the old Dutch Church at 
Sleepy Hollow. He married Mary Jennings. During 
the War he served as a private in the companies of 
Captains George Comb and Jonas Orsor. He died at 
Peekskill on November 5th, 1830, and was accorded a 
military funeral. 

ISAAC MEAD (1793-5, 1808) kept a road house on 
the Post road, near Davenport's Corners. He was 
born in Westchester county on February 16th, 1751. 
His first wife was Sarah Huestis and his second, Mary 
Wright. He died April 13th, 1811. In 1793 he was 
appointed by the Vestry "to collect the Sallery for the 
Rev. Andrew Fowler in Dutchess County." 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 171 

JOHN GEE (1794-5). Of him nothing is known save 
the interesting fact that at a Vestry meeting in 1793 it 
was resolved that "John Gee be appointed Chorister 
in the aforesaid Churches until Easter Monday next." 

SMITH JONES (1795) the son of John, was a farmer 
of Cortlandtown. He married Susannah, daughter of 
Jonathan Ferris, and eventually removed to Delhi, N. Y. 

Three members of the DOUGLASS family were on the 
Vestry: William (1795), James (1796) and Benjamin 
(1800-1). William was a delegate to the Diocesan Con- 
vention of 1795. Nothing is known of them save that 
Benjamin was a cabinet maker in Peekskill. 

JUSTUS NELSON (1796) was the seventh son of 
Francis Nelson, one of the early settlers of Dutchess 
County. He was born in the Highlands on the 23rd of 
February, 1737. He married, in 1756, Mary Haight, 
and later Phoebe, widow of Nicholas Budd, by whom he 
had twelve children. His name appears on the tax 
records for 1771. Twice he held public office; once as 
"Poor-Master," and in 1773 as Commissioner of High- 
ways. When the property of Roger Morris was sold by 
the Commissioners of Forfeiture Justus Nelson pur- 
chased for a consideration of £1-12-0 eight acres of land 
"being part of the marsh or meadow lying near Consti- 
tution Island so called." The deed is dated October 
20th, 1784. He died February 21st, 1803, aged sixty-six 
years, and is buried in St. Philip's Churchyard. 

JOHN NELSON (1799-1810) was from the Highlands. 
A son of Joshua, he was born on April 23rd, 1766. He 
owned a farm of five hundred acres. 



172 The History of St. Philip's Church 

THOMAS HENYON (1799) was a tenant of the glebe 
farm in 1798-9. 

JOHN JONES, JR. (1800-4) was a farmer of Cort- 
landtown. He married Sarah Swim, and removed to 
Tioga County, N. Y., where he died. 

ISAAC PURDY (1801-11, 1813) was a farmer, who 
lived close by old St. Peter's Church. He was born in 
1759, and died April 1st, 1838. He is buried in the old 
churchyard. 

NICHOLAS NELSON (1808-11) was the tenth child 
of Justus, and married Mary, daughter of Captain John 
Haight. His second wife was Hannah Vermilyea. He 
was in business at Peekskill as a harness maker, from 
whence he removed to Wisconsin, where he died. 

JACOB LENT (1809-10) was the school-master in the 
Highlands. When the parish was without a Rector 
he occasionally read the service in St. Philip's Church. 
He died on February 16th, 1857, and is buried in St. 
Philip's Churchyard. 

WILLIAM NELSON (1811) was the son of Thomas 
and was born in the town of Clinton, N. Y., in 1752. 



// 




His name appears on the Attorney's Roll for Putnam 
County in 1813, and his office was at Peekskill. He 
lived in the house now used as the Town Hall. For 
some years he acted as legal adviser to the Vestry. 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 173 

ELISHA COVERT (1811) of Philipstown was a de- 
scendant of Abraham Covert, who was a tenant on Lot 
No. 1. He was a farmer, and removed to Colchester, 
Delaware County, in 1815. 

JOHN OPPIE (1812-17, 1820-7) was born at Six Mile 
Run, New Jersey, on April 8th, 1768. He came to 
Peekskill in 1795, where he practiced law. He was ad- 
mitted to the Bar of the newly formed Court of Putnam 
County in 1812, and was one of the Commissioners to 
lay out the Westchester and Dutchess turnpike. He 
married Phoebe, daughter of Isaac Bates, and died on 
September 1st, 1828. 

CAPTAIN FREDERICK PHILIPS served on the 
Vestry from 1812 to his death in 1829. He was the son 
of Philip Philipse and his wife Margaret Marston, and 
was born in New York on the 3d of May, 1755. His first 
wife was his cousin, Mary Marston, whom he married on 
October 14th, 1779, and his second, Maria Kemble. By 
his first wife he had one daughter, Mary. On May 6th, 
1782, he was made a Captain in George the Third's 
"King's American Dragoons," his commission bearing 
the signature of Guy Carleton. Captain Philips was 
the first male member of the family to reside in the High- 
lands, where he built "The Grange" in the year 1800. It 
was destroyed by fire sixty years later. He died on May 
3rd, 1829, and was buried in the Marston vault in Trinity 
Churchyard, New York. 

WILLIAM HENDERSON (1812) was the son-in-law 
and executor of William Denning He resided at what 
is now the Highlands Country Club. 



174 The History of St. Philip's Church 

MEPHIBOSETH NELSON (1812) was the youngest 
child of Justus by his wife Mary Haight, and was born 
December 1st, 1775. He married Elizabeth Baxter on 
December 8th, 1798. By trade he was a millwright 
and built the Arden and Philipse mills. He died on the 
29th of March, 1830, and is buried in St. Philip's Church- 
yard. 

JONATHAN FERRIS, (1814) a son of Jonathan 
by his wife Rachel Dean, was born in 1779. He 
married Jane Owens on February 13th, 1800. He lived 
at Putnam Valley and kept a store at Oregon. For 
some time he was a Judge of the Court of Common 
Pleas, Westchester County, and in 1815 he became one of 
the Commissioners to build the Court House at Carmel. 
He died September 6th, 1838. 

STEPHEN NELSON (1814-16) was a son of John, 
and grandson of Joshua Nelson. He married Mary, 
daughter of Daniel Haight, and died February 1st, 1835. 

JAMES WILEY (1827-9) was a cabinet maker of 
Peekskill. He married the widow of Caleb Ward. In 
the years 1818-20 he served as Supervisor. He died April 
30th, 1829, in the forty-eighth year of his age. 

JOHN T. GOMIER (1828-35), the son of Nicholas, 
was of French descent. He owned a fuller's mill near 
Oregon. 

ALLEN B. HAZEN (1829) was a miller of Peekskill. 

RICHARD HOPPER (1831-33) of the Highlands was 
born on April 15th, 1777, and died October 13th, 1834. 
The Hoppers were amongst the early tenants of Beverly 
Robinson and occupied a farm of 200 acres on the boun- 




CAPTAIN FREDERICK PHILIPS 

Vestryman, 1812-1829 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 175 

dary of Lots No. 1 and 4. The property was sold by the 
Commissioners of Forfeiture to William Denning, who 
re-sold it to Richard Hopper, Sr., on November 2nd, 1786. 
He received from the State £350 compensation for dam- 
ages to his property during the Revolution. 

The election of GOUVERNEUR KEMBLE (1833) 
to the Vestry marks an interesting epoch in the develop- 
ment of the Parish. In the thirties, while the tie between 
St. Peter's and St. Philip's was weakening, a new tie was 
being formed northward by the commencement of ser- 
vices at Cold Spring. The election of Mr. Kemble was 
at once a tribute to his sterling worth and a recognition 
of the new development. Mr. Kemble was born in New 
York City on January 25th, 1786, and graduated from 
Columbia College in 1803. During a residence as United 
States Consul at Cadiz he became interested in the 
casting of cannon and established the West Point Foundry 
about 1814. For two terms he was a member of Con- 
gress, and was also one of the delegates to the Convention 
for the revision of the Constitution of the State of New 
York. At the age of eighty-nine he died on September 
18th, 1875. 

ISAAC SEYMOUR (1834-9) of Peekskill, was born in 
1798 and married Sarah Scott. He was a leader in the 
business enterprises of the village, and in addition to 
serving a term as Supervisor in 1848 was Cashier and 
President of the W 7 estchester County Bank. He died on 
September 3d, 1863. 

SAMUEL MARKS (1834-9) was a printer and book- 
binder of Peekskill. He was born in the city of New 
York on October 14th, 1776, and married on January 



176 The History of St. Philip's Church 

15th, 1803. He was President of the village of Peekskill 
in 1829-30, 1834-5-6 and 7. He died April 7th, 1848. 

ALFRED EUGENE WATSON (1834), the son of 
Marston and Lucy (Lee) Watson, was born in the city of 
Boston on November 15th, 1800. Twenty years later 
he graduated from Harvard. He married on September 
23d, 1822, Louisa C. M. Stoughton of Boston, who died 
ten years later; second, Eliza Mellen of Cambridge, 
Mass. (October 8th, 1835), and third, Susan E. Ferguson, 
on March 25th, 1845. Together with his older brother, 
John Lee Watson, he purchased a farm of 355 acres 
from Mr. Wheelock. This property was part of the 
original Davenport farm on the Philipse Patent. There, 
on March 28th, 1830, the two brothers opened the 
"Highland School" for boys. In 1834 there were twenty- 
five boarders, and four masters. The school continued 
successfully for five years until John Lee Watson 1 de- 

1 John Lee Watson, the Headmaster of the Highland School, was 
born in Boston on August 27th, 1797, educated at the Latin School and 
graduated from Harvard in 1815. For some time before coming into 
the Highlands he taught school at Taunton and Northampton, Mass. 
On June 20th, 1828, he married Elizabeth West of Taunton. They had 
twelve children one of whom, the Rev. John H. Watson, is now a priest 
in the diocese of New York. During his attendance at St. Philip's Mr. 
Watson did admirable service as a lay-reader. The family physician, 
Dr. St. Croix, urged him to study for the ministry and the suggestion 
was warmly endorsed by the Rev. James Sunderland. He was ordered 
Deacon in Trinity Church on Sunday, October 11th, 1835, by Bishop 
Benjamin T. Onderdonk, and advanced to the Priesthood by the same 
Bishop in St. George's Church on May 8th, 1836. His subsequent 
parochial appointments were: Trinity Church, Fishkill, 1835-6; 
Associate-rector, on the Greene Foundation, of Trinity Church, Boston, 
1836-46; Rector of Grace Church, Newark, N. J., 1846-53; and Rector 
of Burlington College, N. J., 1853-55. In the latter year he became 



The Wardens and Vestrymen 177 

cided to enter the ministry. On December 15th, 1834, 
the property was sold to Henry Casimir de Rham and the 
school was closed the following March. Mr. Watson 
became a Paymaster in the U. S. Navy and died in 1876. 
He was interred in the family tomb on Boston Common. 

Such were the men who through good and ill report 
safeguarded the temporalities of the United Churches. 

They rest from their labors, but their works do follow 
them. 



a Chaplain in the U. S. Navy. Mr. Watson died at Orange, N. J., on 
August 12th, 1884, and was buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery, 
Newark. 



CHAPTER VII. 

THE CHAPEL OF ST. PHILIP'S IN THE HIGHLANDS. 
1770-1839. 

THE history of St. Philip's Church in the Highlands 
covers an unbroken period of one hundred and 
forty-one years; for seventy years it was a chapel 
in the parish of St. Peter's, on the Manor of Cortlandt, and 
for seventy-one years it has been an independent parish. 
The chapel stood in what was then the southern precinct 
of Dutchess County. Of this county one of the earliest 
historians of the State of New York writes: 

This county adjoins to West-Chester, which bounds 
it on the south, the Connecticut line on the east, 
Hudson's river on the west, and the county of Albany 
on the north. The south part of this county is moun- 
tainous and fit only for iron works, but the rest con- 
tains a great quantity of good upland well watered. 
The only villages in it are Poghkeepsing and the Fish- 
Kill, though they scarcely deserve the name. The 
inhabitants on the banks of the river are Dutch, but 
those more easterly Englishmen, and for the most part, 
emigrants from Connecticut and Long Island. There 
is no Episcopal church in it. The growth of this 
county has been very sudden, and commenced but 
a few years ago. Within the memory of persons now 
living, it did not contain above twelve families; and 
according to the late returns of the militia, it will 
furnish at present above 2500 fighting men. 1 

1 Smith, The History of the Province of New York, Vol. I, p. 264. 



Chapel of St Philip's in the Highlands 179 

Authorities differ as to when the county was created. 
Some put it in 1683; others in 1691. Official records, 
however, state that in 1693 "Dutchess County having 
very few inhabitants, is committed to the care of the 
county of Ulster." 1 Even at that period the population 
must have numbered more than "twelve families." 
The first recorded census, taken in 1714, gives the total 
number of souls as 445; of these 22 were slaves. The 
names of 67 heads of families are recorded, and, with 
three or four exceptions, all the names are Dutch. 2 

By 1723 the inhabitants numbered 1040, and eight 
years later they had grown to 1727. In the years follow- 
ing there was a remarkable growth of population, as 
witnessed by the official returns : 



1746 


8,896 


1756 


13,289 


1771 


21,044 



On the eve of the Revolution the population of 
Dutchess exceeded that of the city and county of New 
York, and, with the exception of Albany, it was the 
largest of any county in the Colony. 

The whole of what is now Putnam County (exclusive 
of the oblong) was part of the extensive tract of land 
granted by William the Third to Adolphe Philipse in 
1697. St. Philip's Chapel was situated in the Southern 
Precinct, which in 1788 became the town of Philipstown. 
Both chapel and town were named in honor of the Lord 
of the Manor. The immediate locality of the chapel 

1. Documentary History of the State of New York, Vol. I, p. 201. 
2 Ibid. p. 471. 



180 The History of St. Philip's Church 

was known as "Nelson's Landing," so called from Caleb 
Nelson, who came here prior to the Revolution. After- 
wards it was known as "Mead's Landing," from one 
Mead, who kept a tavern and store on the dock. Still 
later the name was changed to "Garrison" in compliment 
to the family of that name. 

We may pause for a moment to outline the social and 
economic conditions which the Church had to face in the 
Highlands. 

The population was small and widely scattered. On 
Major Villefranche's "Map and Plan of West Point," 1 
made in 1780, he marks on this side of the river, Robin- 
son Frm., Mandevilles, at the "Four Corners;" the "Red 
Church" (St. Philip's), the "Nelson" house, which stood 
opposite " Woodlawn," on land now owned by Mr. Evans 
R. Dick, and Danfords (Davenports). Erskine's map of 
1785 adds Thomas Davenport to the eastward of Con- 
stitution Island, and a ferry house on the east end of the 
island, but no other houses on the river front between 
Anthony's Nose and Fishkill Creek. It is worthy of note 
that all the men whose places were marked on these maps 
were connected with the Church. Beverly Robinson was 
Warden; Justus Nelson and Thomas Davenport were 
Vestrymen; and services were held in the house of Jacob 
Mandeville. 

The Department of Commerce and Labor has 
recently published an analysis of the first census of the 
United States, which was taken in the year 1790. The 
total population, exclusive of slaves, was 3,231,533. A 

1 Printed in Boynton's History of West Point, p. 86. 



Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 181 

study of the returns — which include the names of the 
heads of families — for Dutchess County sheds a great 
deal of interesting light upon social conditions in the 
Highlands section of the parish towards the close of the 
eighteenth century. Philipstown then included what is 
now the town of Putnam Valley, and in that area there 
was a population of 2,079; the population of the town of 
Cortlandt, in which stood St. Peter's Church, was 1,932. 
A more detailed analysis gives for Philipstown : 

Free White Males of 16 years and upwards, 

including heads of families 517 

Free White Males, under 16 years 593 

Free White Females, including heads of families 942 

All other Free Persons 2 

Slaves 25 1 

Of this scanty and scattered population, prior to the 
Revolution, Beverly Robinson, owner, through his wife, 
of one-third of the Philipse Patent, was feudal chief. 
Roger Morris and Mrs. Ogilvie, owners of the remaining 
two-thirds, were non-resident, and Colonel Robinson was 
the sole representative of the holders of the Patent, which 
covered the entire southern part of Dutchess County. 
The Philipse family owned every rod of land in the 
Highlands. The substantial tenant farmers were few — 
the Mandevilles, Nelsons, Lancasters, Davenports and 
Haights. Amongst the slave owners were the following : 

John Haight 2 Thomas Davenport 4 

Sylvanus Haight 1 Joshua Nelson l 2 

1 Heads of Families, First Census of the United States, 1790, State 
of New York, p. 9. Washington, Government Printing Office, 1908. 

2 Do Do pp. 89-90. 



182 The History of St. Philip's Church 

The people wrung a scanty pittance out of soil, much 
of which was unproductive. Parts of it were rocky and 
much of it covered with timber. For purposes of valua- 
tion the land was divided into two classes — " settled" 
and "unsettled;" the former cleared for cultivation; the 
latter wooded. Of Beverly Robinson's 60,000 acres, 
29,595 were "unsettled," and on his own home farm of 
1,500 acres, only 400 were under cultivation. One reason 
for this lay in the fact that "timber was looked upon as 
being more valuable than the soil." Mr. Robinson testi- 
fies that Lot No. 1 was "well timbered and convenient to 
several landings which made the timber valuable, being 
chiefly Oak, Walnut and Chestnut." He values the 
"settled" lands at £3 per acre and the "unsettled" por- 
tion at half that figure, but selected lands were more val- 
uable. This was especially the case with meadow land. 
The land near Martlaer's Rock (now called Constitution 
Island), was estimated to be worth £20 per acre, in 
addition to whicji the Robinsons had then spent £12 per 
acre "in banking out the tide." 

Outside of one or two innkeepers the inhabitants 
were nearly all farmers. The acreage of the farms was 
small. On Lot No. 4 the largest farm was 300 acres; 
the smallest 50. On No. 1 Jacob Mandeville farmed 400 
acres. Rents varied with the quality of the soil and the 
acreage. On No. 1 the highest individual rental in 1755 
was £5; the smallest £1.10.0. On No. 4 only two tenants 
paid as much as £5, whilst on No. 7 Archibald Campbell's 
rent was £10.0.0. Beginning in 1768 the rent of most of 
the farms was substantially increased. The following 
figures will show how large the increase was in the ag- 
gregate : 



Chapel of St, Philip's in the Highlands 183 





1755. 


1768. 


1777. 


Lot No. 1. 


£ 26.15.0 


£ 82. 5.0 


£135.15.0 


4. 


131. 0.0 


304. 9.0 


353.15.0 


7. 


161. 0.0 


404.15.0 


767. 14. 1 



In spite of this increase Mr. Robinson testifies that 
"the farms were very much underlet, and he has no 
scruple to say that the rents (had no troubles happened) 
would have been increased in a greater proportion than 
they had hitherto done." 

Some of the rents were payable in kind — corn or wheat. 
Thus there was a lease dated August 5th, 1765, to John 
Hall "of 158 acres of land for one year at the rent of 
25 bushels of clear merchantable Wheat." There is 
extant a list of twenty-two tenants whose aggregate 
rental was 442 bushels of wheat, which was valued at 6/s 
per bushel. The rent of one farm was as low as four 
bushels per annum. It is interesting to note that when 
by "temporary indulgence" these tenants were allowed 
to pay in cash rather than grain, Mr. Robinson estimates 
that he lost £32 by the transaction. 

All the scanty records go to show that the tenant 
farmers were poor and unenterprising. For this there 
is a suggestive economic reason. They lacked the in- 
centive of ownership. There were no small freeholders 
until after the Revolution. With the exception of what 
was known as "the undivided portion," it was the settled 
policy of the Lords of the Manor to retain the ownership 
of the land. To this Beverly Robinson rigidly adhered. 
Once only did he depart from it, when he sold twenty 
acres on Lot No. 7 to Duncan Campbell "as a matter of 

1 New York Currency. 



184 The History of St. Philip's Church 

favor and to encourage a settler of so respectable a char- 
acter." Moreover, the terms of the leases was very 
uncertain. Mr. Robinson was a considerate landlord, 
but the fact remains that they were tenants at his 
will. On Lot No. 1 there were no leases at all. On the 
other lots leases were short; some for one year, others 
for life. A man who had no guarantee of a term of 
years would not be likely to do more than live from hand 
to mouth. 

Between poor land and short tenure it is not surprising 
that most of the tenants were in debt to their landlord. 
On the 1st of May, 1777, they owed him, in the shape 
of mortgages, bonds and notes, £7,191.17.4, on which 
they paid interest at the rate of 7% per annum. Seldom, 
on American soil, has the feudal land system been so 
perfectly exemplified. 

Churches and ministers were strikingly scant in 
Dutchess county. In 1755 there was one Quaker meet- 
ing house and but very few settled ministers to meet the 
spiritual needs of more than thirteen thousand people. 
The majority belonged to the Dutch Church, but there 
were also many Lutherans in Beekman's Precinct and 
some Moravians. Forty-nine Quakers were divided 
between the Oblong and Beekman's Precinct. 

To these various religious persuasions was added a 
little handful of communicants of the Church, who had 
migrated from the parish of St. George's, Hempstead, 
Long Island. In the strange country they yearned for 
the services and Sacraments of their mother church. 
Northward there was no rector nearer than Albany and 



Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 185 

their thoughts turned to the Rev. Samuel Seabury, 1 their 
old minister at Hempstead. Although it involved a 
journey on horseback of eighty miles, and Mr. Seabury 
was no longer a young man, he readily responded to the 
appeal of his former parishioners and between 1755 and 
1762 made six visits to Dutchess County. On the first 
occasion he "staid six days, and preached four times to 
large assemblies." All told he baptized nine adults and 
ninety-nine children. There was some opposition, which 
found expression in an anonymous pamphlet entitled, 
A Letter from a Gentleman to his Friend in Dutchess County. 
To this Mr. Seabury replied under title, A Modest Reply 
to A Letter From a Gentleman to his Friend in Dutchess 
County Lately published by an anon-i-mous writer. In 
the course of the reply he states that "The places pro- 
posed for settling the Church are Rombout, Poughkeep- 
sie, and the South Part of Crom Elbow precincts . . . 
So great is the encouragement for the settling of a 
Minister of the Church of England to serve in those 

1 History of St. George's Church, Hempstead, by Rev. W. H. Moore, 
D.D., p. 91-2. 

Rev. Samuel Seabury was born at Groton, Conn., in 1706. He 
married, first, Abigal Mumford who was the mother of Bishop Sea- 
bury and died in 1731 ; second, Elizabeth Powell who died February 6th, 
1799. He graduated from Harvard in 1724. After preaching for a 
time amongst the Congregationalists he sought Episcopal ordination 
and on August 21st, 1730, was appointed Missionary of the S. P. G. at 
New London, Conn. In 1732 he became Rector of St. George's, 
Hempstead, and ministered also at Oyster Bay and Huntington (Annals 
of St. James, New London, Conn., by the Rev. R. A. Hallam, D.D.), 
The following notice of his death appeared in the New York Post Boy 
"Rev. Mr. Seabury died of a nervous disorder and an imposthume 
in his side, June 15th, 1764, aged 58; a gentleman of amiable and 
exemplary character, greatly and generally beloved and lamented." 



186 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

places above mentioned & on the Borders of Beekman's 
and Philipse's Precincts, that not less than 103 Persons, 
ten of whom only are single, have already subscribed for 
the Building of a Church for the Worship of God accord- 
ing to the Liturgy of the Church of England." 1 The 
Society for the Propagation of the Gospel appointed Mr. 
Seabury general missionary for Dutchess County in 1756. 2 

Eventually it was found that the care of the parish at 
Hempstead made it impossible to devote the necessary 
time to so distant a field, and steps were taken to secure 
a resident priest. Early in 1762 the Rev. John Beardsley, 
missionary at Norwich and Groton, Connecticut, visited 
the county with a view to a permanent settlement. Four 
years later a glebe was purchased and Mr. Beardsley 
took up his abode in Poughkeepsie. As yet there was no 
church building, but in 1767 land was purchased in Fish- 
kill and Trinity Church was erected. On Christmas Day, 
1774, Christ Church, Poughkeepsie, was opened for 
divine service, the sermon being preached by the Rev. 
Samuel Provoost, who was then living at East Camp. 

The first services in what afterwards became the parish 
of St. Philip's in the Highlands were probably conducted 
by Mr. Seabury. He was missionary for the entire 
county, and the Highlands afforded a resting-place on the 
journey to and from Hempstead. One who remembered 
Mr. Seabury well described him "as seated on a strong 
sorrel horse with his saddle-bags strapped to his saddle. 
He was strongly built, but not tall . . . He wore a 
three-cornered hat and small clothes and 'top boots.' " 

1 Reynolds, Records of Christ Church, Poughkeepsie, p. 6. 
% Documentary History of the Protestant Episcopal Church, Vol. I, 
Connecticut, p. 324. 



Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 187 

In his reports to the Venerable Society for the Propaga- 
tion of the Gospel, he records two visits to Philipse 
Manor: June 29th, 1757, and November 11th, 1760. 
It is more than likely that on those occasions he was an 
honored guest in the home of Beverly Robinson. 

Thus was the way opened for the erection of a chapel. 
Beverly Robinson was a Churchman, as were also some of 
the substantial tenant farmers. They were, however, 
too few in number to undertake alone the maintenance of 
a minister, and Fishkill and Poughkeepsie were too dis- 
tant for practical co-operation. Naturally therefore they 
turned to the south. The Churchmen of the Manors of 
Philipse and Cortlandt joined forces. 

So far as is known there exists no formal record of the 
date of the erection of St. Philip's Chapel. Services 
were held in a private house in the early Fall of 1770, 
and the minutes of the Vestry make mention of a chapel 
in the first month of 1772. It therefore seems reasonable 
to assume that the building was erected in 1771. If so, 
St. Philip's is second in age in Dutchess County to 
Trinity Church, Fishkill. 

The steps that led to a Chapel may be clearly and 
accurately traced. In 1766 the residents of the High- 
lands subscribed towards the erection of St. Peter's 
Church. Beverly Robinson was one of the five Trustees, 
and the Royal Charter expressly stipulated that it was 
for "sundry inhabitants on the upper part of the Manor 
of Cortlandt and the lower part of Philipse Patent." 
The petition to the Venerable Society states that "the 
minister should be settled at both places, so as to make 
one congregation of the whole to preach every other 
Sunday at the house of Jacob Mandeville," and Beverly 



188 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Robinson's gift of the glebe farm for the support of the 
Minister was conditioned upon "his giving one half of 
his time to the Highlands." In a further letter it is 
stated that "it is intended to build another Church in 
the lower end of the Philipse Patent." 

The first known written record of the minutes of a 
Vestry meeting is dated September 1st, 1770. Philips- 
town was well represented. Beverly Robinson was 
senior Warden, and Joshua Nelson and Thomas Daven- 
port were the Philipstown members of the Vestry. At 
that meeting the following resolution was passed: 

Resolved, that in order to encourage the inhabitants 
on the lower part of Philips Patten to subscribe to the 
yearly maintenance of a Minister, that he shall offi- 
ciate one half of his time in the neighborhood of Jacob 
Mand e on every other Sunday. 

Jacob Mande ville 1 came of a Dutch family, and the 
house in which he lived, and in which the services were 
first held, still stands at the "Four Corners." It was 

1 Jacob Mandeville was of Dutch ancestry. He was a descendant 
of Yellis Jansen de Mandeville who, with his wife and four children, 
came to New York from or near Garderer in Holland in the de Trouw 
(the Faith) on February 12th, 1659. They were members of the Dutch 
Church. He purchased land on Long Island and lived at Shappano- 
conk (Greenwich Village). In 1700 he sold the city farm to his second 
son David, who was born in America. It ran from Hudson's River 
to Warren road (14th to 21st Streets). Jacob Mandeville was the son 
of David, who married on June 10th, 1709, Jannetje Jacobs Wortendyk, 
maiden, from the Bowery, N. Y. (N. Y. Dutch Church Marriages). 
They had seven children of whom Jacob was the eldest. He was 
baptized January 10th, 1711. (N. Y. Genealogical Record, Vol. 
XXXVIII, page 284 ff.) It is not known when Jacob Mandeville 
came to live in the Highlands, but Beverly Robinson speaks of him 
as an old tenant under Adolphe Philipse who died in 1749. He was a 



Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 189 

afterwards occupied by his son-in-law, Joshua Nelson. 
Even after the chapel was built services were still held 
in this house, as witness this baptismal record of the Rev. 
John Urquhart: 

Baptised at Joshua Nelson's House on Sunday the 
22nd of Novr, 1812, before the congregation after 
divine worship, Susan, the daughter of George Reade 
from Mr Stewarts mines. 

The original gift of land for the chapel was one acre, 
and the donor was Colonel Beverly Robinson. This 
land was in serious danger of confiscation with the rest 
of the estate, but it was finally secured to the parish by 
the efforts of William Denning, who added "another acre 
reserved to the Church for ever." 1 In 1803, when Cor- 
nelius Nelson sold 125 acres to Harry Garrison, it was 
"exclusive of the three acres for the use of the Church." 2 



substantial tenant farmer cultivating 490 acres for which he paid an 
annual rental of five pounds. The house at the "Four Corners" in 
which he resided is undoubtedly the oldest in Garrison as "Beverly" 
was not built until 1758. It is marked on the Villefranche and Erskine 
maps as "Mandevilles." There is a tradition that it was used as a 
Military Hospital during the War of the Revolution. Certainly it was 
a place of call for Washington, and the wife of General Israel Putnam 
died within its walls during the British attack on Fort Montgomery. 

He married Sarah (or Martha), daughter of Thomas Davenport 
about 1735. She died May 18th, 1782. His daughter Sarah, born 
September 18th, 1736, married Joshua Nelson on the 3rd of January, 
1754. A second daughter Hannah, born November 7th, 1737, became 
the wife of Daniel Birdsall of Peekskill. Both Nelson and Birdsall 
were members of the Vestry. A third daughter was married to one 
Sebrings. The rent of the Mandeville farm was collected by Susannah 

1 Hobart MSS. 

2 Dutchess County Deeds, 180S. 



190 The History of St. Philip's Church 

In a letter dated 1813 the writer says: 

S. Philips Church is situate near the banks of the 
Hudson river, nearly opposite to West Point, and 
about midway of the Highlands. Is a small building 
on a very beautiful commanding rising ground, with 
two acres of land. 1 

Like St. Peter's, the building was painted red. 

The first actual mention of a chapel at Garrison occurs 
in the Minutes of the Vestry of January 4th, 1772. 
Money was needed for the work of the parish, and it was 
ordered that Beverly Robinson "do furnish a ticket in 
the Delaware Lottery out of the money collected in S. 
Philips Chappell." In April of the same year the parish 
organized a lottery of its own for "S, Peters Church at 
Peeks Kill, and S. Philips Chappell in the Highlands." 

The chapel had been built but a little more than four 
years when the War of the Revolution broke out. Both 
the English and the American authorities at once recog- 
nized the strategic value of the Highlands. General 
Washington spoke of Hudson's River as "the key that 



Robinson up to March 20th, 1777, after which the property was for- 
feited to the State. 

State Treasurer's Receipt for Rent, New York, November 30th, 1784. 
Received of Mr Joshua Nelson, one of the heirs of Jacob Mandeville, 
deceased, thirty-one pounds, five shillings, which sum said Nelson pays 
as rent due from him to the State for the farm occupied by the said 
Jacob Mandeville and himself, being leased of Beverly Robinson whose 
estate was forfeited to the People of the State of New York by his 
attainder. The rent computed from the 20th of March, 1777, the 
day of the date of Susannah Robinson's receipt for one year's rent to 
the day the Commissioners of Forfeiture conveyed the said Farm, being 
June 16th, 1784, is seven years and 3 months £5 per annum. (N. Y. in 
the Revolution, Vol. XLT. p. 89). 

1 Hobart MSS 



Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 191 

locked the communication between the eastern and the 
southern States," and regarded it as the most important 
post in the United States. 1 Each side contended vigor- 
ously for possession of the gorge, and troops were con- 
stantly in the neighborhood of the chapel. On Novem- 
ber 12th, 1776, after a detailed inspection of the High- 
lands, Washington entrusted their defence to Major- 
General William Heath with instructions "to fortify them 
with all possible expedition.' ' Guns were mounted on 
the north and middle and south hills, and brigades were 
stationed at "Robinsons" and Constitution Island. 

One interesting episode may be singled out for men- 
tion. As the Winter of 1780 approached preparations 
were made for a grand forage. Teams were impressed 
for this purpose in northern Westchester and lower 
Dutchess — that is in the area served by the united 
churches. Advantage was taken of the assembling of 
the troops to hold a grand review in honor of some dis- 



On April 10th, 1786, one of Mandeville's daughters writes the State 
Treasurer as follows : 
Sir, 

Please pay my third share of the amount of the timber, firewood &c 
taken for the use of the Army from the estate of my late father, Jacob 
Mandeville, and valued by persons appointed by decree of the Quarter- 
Master General and State Agent, to my sister, Mrs. Sebrings, 

Hannah Birdsall. 

Amount paid 350 

July 17th, 1786. 

Jacob Mandeville was a man of some importance in the Highlands. 
At a Town meeting, held April 5th, 1772, he was appointed a Fence- 
viewer and Highway-master from the Post Road near Widow Aries' 
through the Highlands to the Four Corners, and from thence to Caleb 

1 Memoirs of Major-General Heath, p. 237. 



192 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

tinguished French officers. The review was held in a field 
adjacent to the chapel. Heath thus describes the event: 

Nov. 21st. — The troops destined for the grand for- 
age paraded between Nelson's Point and the church. 
Just before they marched, Chevalier Chastellux, 
Major-General in the French army at Newport, and 
some other French officers, arrived; the detachment 
filed before them, and proceeded for the lines. The 
French officers were much pleased with the appear- 
ance of the troops. 1 

The effect of the War on the Highland church was dis- 
astrous. Tradition has woven many stories concerning 
the use to which St. Philip's was put by the stress of the 
conflict. It is said to have been used as a hospital, and 
also as a military prison, but there are no proofs of the 
statements. One thing, however, is proved beyond 
question — the church property was grievously damaged. 



Nelson's, and from thence to Christopher Fowler's (Pelletreau, History 
of Putnam Co., p. 458). There is not known to exist any official record 
of the date of his death, but recently there has come to light an old man- 
uscript book which belonged to Joshua Nelson (his son-in-law) in which 
there is written the following, evidently copied from a tombstone: 

Martha Mandevill 

Deceased 18th May, 1782. 

Jacob Mandevill 

Husband of the above Martha Mandevill 

Deceased the 27th of August 

In the Year of our Lord Jesus Christ 

One Thousand seven hundred and 

eighty-foure 

Aged 75 years. 

1 Heath's Memoirs, p. 278. Cf Voyages en Amerique Septen- 
trionale, by Chastellux. Vol. I, p. 65 ff. Paris; 1786. 



Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 193 

William Denning, the first Warden of the parish after the 
War, writes: 

S. Philips in the Highlands had the windows, the 
sidings and the floors taken away for the use of West 
Point, and nothing of it left but the floor and the 
frame. In this situation the present Patrons found 
it and at great private expense repaired it as not one 
farthing could ever be obtained from the public for 
its destruction. 1 

An unknown writer of 1813 confirms the statement: 

During the said War, S. Philips Church, being in 
the vicinity of the armies, suffered greatly. Nothing 
of it remained but the frame and the roof. The floor, 
siding, doors and windows were destroyed or taken 
away. The late Mrs. Ogilvie contributed generously, 
which with a very scanty aid from an indigent popu- 
lation, and the residue furnished by William Denning, 
the Church was repaired, the floor laid, doors and win- 
dows replaced, a pulpit and altar erected, the Church 
painted, 2 and a small decent schoolhouse erected. 
This was done in 1786." 3 



No mention is made of the place of burial. It may have been in the 
Churchyard of St. Philip's, but the probabilities are that he was interred 
in the graveyard which then lay just behind his own house. (There 
is considerable difficulty about the name of Jacob Mandeville's 
wife. The tombstone gives it as "Martha." On the other hand the 
Will of Thomas Davenport speaks of "the children of my daughter 
'Sarah' Mandeville." In the absence of further information it seems 
impossible to decide between the two.) 

1 Archives of Trinity Corporation. Letter of William Denning to 
the Rev. Mr. Hargill dated Sept. 10th, 1795. 

2 Hobart MSS. 

3 According to the minutes of the Vestry the schoolhouse was not 
built until 1793. 



194 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

The material damage was the least evil. The inter- 
ruption of the spiritual work of the chapel was more 
serious. The Rector had removed to Schenectady and 
the senior Warden had joined the British forces in New 
York. The infant cause was therefore deprived of its 
spiritual director and its most influential layman. No 
clerical aid could be obtained from adjacent parishes. 
To the northward the churches both at Poughkeepsie 
and Fishkill were closed, and the same conditions pre- 
vailed in the parishes to the south. We have the au- 
thority of Mr. Denning for the statement that "During 
the War no regular worship took place in either of the 
Churches and the interest of this weak and infant Insti- 
tution seemed wholly abandoned." 

The War over, the faithful of the flock of God pro- 
ceeded to repair the waste. It should not be forgotten 
that the Revolution wrought radical economic changes in 
Philipstown, and the most important change was in the 
ownership of the land. The small freeholder took the 
place of the territorial magnate. The record of deeds 
for Dutchess County at this period shows that when the 
Commissioners of Forfeiture sold the Robinson estate 
the purchasers, in many cases, were the tenants who 
had farmed the land under Mr. Robinson. 1 It was the 
era of the small farmer with little capital and poor soil 
and impoverished by the War. The Churchmen were 
few in number, for not a few of those who had been associ- 
ated with the beginning of St. Philip's had followed the 

1 The 50,000 acres of Roger Morris were distributed amongst 
nearly 250 buyers and the James De Lancey estate went to about 
275 different persons. (Loyalism in New York during the Amer. 
Rev. by A. C. Flick, Ph.D. p. 160.) 



Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 195 

fortunes of Beverly Robinson and were in exile. Those 
who remained had no clergymen to lead them. Their 
little chapel had neither altar nor pulpit; neither floor 
nor siding. Like a gaunt skeleton it stood on the hillside 
without either door or window. The words of Hanani 
to Nehemiah concerning Jerusalem describe the con- 
dition alike of people and chapel: 

The remnant that are left of the captivity there in 
the province are in great affliction and reproach ; the 
wall of Jerusalem also is broken down, and the gates 
thereof are burned with fire. 1 

To re-establish the work under such conditions was a 
herculean task, and with "head bloody, but unbowed" 
they nobly rose to the occasion. The first requisite was 
to fit the chapel for divine worship; the second, to 
secure a minister. In the former task they were aided 
by the leadership of William Denning, who had taken up 
his residence in the Robinson homestead. He was a wise 
counsellor and a liberal contributor to the work of 
restoration. With his assistance and that of Mrs. 
Ogilvie, extensive repairs were made to the building, to 
which also was added, apparently for the first time, a 
pulpit and an altar. But, alas! there was no resident 
priest to feed the flock. Doubtless services were held 
at such times as ministers could be found, but, it is to be 
feared, they were few and far between. It was during 
this trying period that the Rev. Silas Constant, a 
Presbyterian pastor of Yorktown, preached at least 
thrice in St. Philip's. The choice of a Rector waited upon 
the re-organization of the Vestry, which was not accom- 

1 Nehemiah I, 3. 



196 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

plislied until April 5th, 1790, "being Monday in Easter 
week." On that day William Denning was elected one 
of the Wardens, and the other members of the Vestry 
from the Highlands were Joshua Nelson, Silvanus Haight, 
Richard Arnold and Jarvis Dusenbury. With the en- 
gagement of David Lanison to "read service" in the two 
churches the new era was ushered in. 

Between the years 1792 and 1800 the records of St. 
Philip's are very scanty. With the Church in America 
it was a period of arrested development. It seemed as 
though the supreme effort put forth to obtain the Episco- 
pate had exhausted her vitality. The diocese of New 
York at that time could not be justly accused of ag- 
gression. Bishops Provoost and Moore seldom exer- 
cised their office outside the city and neither of them 
ever visited this parish, although the former announced 
to the Diocesan Convention of 1790 that "he had it in 
contemplation to visit the churches on the Hudson 
whenever circumstances permit." The chronic difficulty 
of the time — a difficulty acutely felt in the Highlands — 
was the lack of clergy to minister in the vacant parishes. 
The adherents of St. Philip's did their best and patiently 
hoped for brighter days to dawn. 

In 1800 it is recorded 

That the Wardens and Vestry do agree with Harry 
Garrison that he shall take the land that belongs to the 
Church in the Highlands, exclusive of the garden that 
is for the use of the School House, which land (he) said 
Garrison is to have the use of for six years to paster 
or mow, and (he) said Garrison is to put a good suffi- 
cient fence all around it and two good swing gates, and 
at the expiration of said six years do promise to deliver 
said land to said Wardens and Vestry in good order. 



Chapel of St Philip's in the Highlands 197 

The agreement is dated April 14th, 1800, and is wit- 
nessed by Jacob Nelson. Four years later William 
Lancaster was appointed to call on Harry Garrison 

to know if he will keep the Churchyard of S. Philips 
in fence according to his agreement made with the 
Wardens and Vestry in 1800, and if he will not, Mr. 
Lancaster to see the fence put up. 

In 1806 it was voted that 

Harry Garrison, William Lancaster and Joshua 
Lancaster have liberty to build three pews on the north 
side of S. Philips Church and that Abraham Garri- 
son, John Nelson, and Richard Hopper have liberty 
to build three pews adjoining the above-mentioned 
pews. 

Three years later it was resolved 

that the Church ground in the Highlands that is not 
occupied by the School House is let to Harry Garrison 
for twenty shillings for the ensuing year. 

In 1820 Harry Garrison and Tunis Cronke were 
appointed a committee 

to affect the repairs of the Church in the Highlands, 
and to make a good stone fence along the road, and 
to make one good and sufficient gate to enter the 
Church grounds. 

In those days a good deal of energy, and not a little 
money, was expended on the renovation of the church 
building. There is still preserved a tattered and browned 
document dated January 26th, 1826, containing the 
appeal for money and the names of the subscribers. 
The appeal is thus worded: 

In all ages and in every community the best regu- 
lated Societies have been those where the Gospel is 



198 The History of St. Philip's Church 

preached and the ordinances thereof, in some form 
or other, statedly administered, and duly attended 
too. Setting aside every consideration the moral prin- 
cipals of the Gospel are universally allowed to be bene- 
ficial to Society in general. This influence on the minds 
of men whenever they are duly observed produce 
love to God and good- will towards men, advancing not 
only their future good, but their present comfort and 
prosperity. Convinced in some degree of the above 
facts, and taking into consideration the decayed 
and ruinous condition of S. Philips Church in Philips- 
town, we the subscribers do promise and agree to pay 
the several sums affixed to our respective names for the 
repairs of the said Church whenever called for, and to 
use such other endeavour as shall seem meet to us in 
order to establish the worship of God in said Church. 
The whole to be under the directions of the Church 
Wardens and Vestry or such other persons as they 
may appoint. 

In response to this reasoned appeal $525.74 were con- 
tributed, Frederick Philipse heading the list with $200. 
There were over thirty donations of one dollar. Thus in 
1827 the Rev. Edward J. Ives was able to write Bishop 
Hobart, "The Church in the Highlands has been repaired 
since I came here. They raised a subscription to the 
amount of Five hundred dollars to do it. It is now well 
finished." 1 

In spite of this expenditure the renovation could not 
have been very thorough, for in 1833 another effort was 
made to raise money to repair the church. The effort 
had the approval of the Bishop of the Diocese, who en- 
dorsed it in these words: 

1 Hobart MSS. 



Chanel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 199 

S. Philips Church, Philipstown, one of the oldest 
Churches in the State, being much out of repair, the 
Vestry are desirous of refitting it for the comfortable 
celebration of divine service. The parish is small and 
not able to accomplish the object without aid. The 
spiritual prospects were never better than at present; 
and I would express the hope that they may be en- 
abled by the liberality of friends, to effect the im- 
portant purpose in which they are engaged. 

Benj T. Onderdonk, 
Bishop of the diocese of New York 
New York, 

Oct. 10th, 1833. 

The following were the amounts subscribed: 

F. Gouverneur 1 200-00 

I. and A. E. Watson 50-00 

Harry Garrison 25-00 

John Garrison 20-00 

Gouverneur Kemble 25-00 

Daniel Haight 20-00 

Mrs. Cooper 20-00 

I. W. Dominick 10-00 

Mr. Garrison 3-00 

Thomas S. Clarkson 3-00 

Rev. Samuel R. Johnson 10-00 

Murray Hoffman 10-00 

Peter A. Jay 3-00 

The clergyman of that day, the Rev. J. Sunderland, 
evidently spent some time in New York for the purpose 
of soliciting donations in furtherance of this appeal, and 
we have the good fortune to possess the account of his 
expenses presented to the Vestry. It is as follows: 

1 Later known as Frederick Philipse. 



200 The History of St. Philip' s Church 

Philipstown, Oct. 1st, 1833 
S. Philip's Church to James Sunderland, Dr. 
To Board N. Y. city 6 days at 1-50 per day, 9-00 

To passage and back 3-00 

To Board N. Y. City 12 days at 1-50 per day 18-00 
To passage and back 3-00 

To Directory and Map of the City 2-50 

$35-00 

The scheme was held in abeyance for lack of sufficient 
funds, and in 1834 an appeal was made to the Corporation 
of Trinity Church for assistance. Apart from its wit- 
ness to financial conditions, it sketches in an interest- 
ing fashion the conditions of Church life in the High- 
lands in the thirties. The document is preserved in the 
archives of Trinity Church and is in the handwriting 
of Frederick Philipse. It is worded as follows: 

To the Corporation of Trinity Church 
in the City of New York. 

The undersigned, on behalf of St. Philip's Church, 
respectfully ask leave to state, 

That St. Philip's Church is situated nearly opposite 
West Point, with a Population in its vicinity which is 
now split up into various sects, principally Metho- 
dists, Baptists, and Episcopalians, and as is usual in 
Country Parishes most of them are Farmers & others 
of limited resources, & dependant upon their personal 
exertions for the support of their families. The 
greater part of this population in the opinion of your 
Petitioners could in a short time be united in the sup- 
port of Episcopalians, were St. Philips either rebuilt 
or properly repaired. We feel the more confidence in 
this opinion from the facts, that (with the exception 
of the Churches at Coldspring of which none is 
Episcopal, and also of a small Methodist Church 



Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 201 

which has never been finished from want of means 
and is in consequence rarely used even in the milder 
season of the year) there is no other Church of any 
denomination on the same side of the River, within a 
distance of eight or ten miles and secondly, That the 
whole of Putnam County formerly belonged to the 
Philipse Family, all of whom were Episcopalians. St. 
Philip's Church was erected chiefly by that Family 
with the aid and exertions of Col. Beverly Robinson, 
who married one of the Branches, and resided on the 
Estate in this Vicinity and being an active and popu- 
lar man with a large tenancy under him, most of the 
tenants at that time, in the vicinity attached them- 
selves to this Church — and to this day it is well known 
that many of the largest families in the neighbouring 
country are descendants from Episcopalians. 

St. Philips was built shortly previous to the Revo- 
lutionary War, but in consequence of the War and the 
retirement of Col. Robinson it was left in a very 
unfinished state. Some small repairs have occasion- 
ally been made by the inhabitants, as their means 
would allow but it has never been put in a comfort- 
able, indeed scarcely a habitable condition, it having 
been found extremely difficult to obtain from the 
Inhabitants, (from inability better than indisposition) 
a sufficiency for the support of a clergyman, by the 
united churches of Peekskill and Philips Town. — 
A more active feeling however has of late evinced 
itself, with the growth of this part of the Country, 
which is highly encouraging, and we have no doubt 
that with a donation of one thousand dollars from 
Trinity Church and what might be obtained from 
individuals, possibly Five hundred dollars, the Church 
could be plainly, but well repaired, finished and 
painted. — We feel ourselves however, bound to admit 
it as doubtful whether a larger sum than is above 
stated, could at the present period, be collected by the 



202 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Vestry, added to the charge of supporting a clergyman, 
altho' on the other hand we are confident, that if the 
Church be once put in order, its Congregation would 
rapidly increase and a sufficient salary soon provided 
for a Parish Minister — When also the advantage that 
this Church enjoys from the great facility of com- 
munication, for the occasional services of the Clergy- 
man, of West Point, New Burgh, Fishkill, and of other 
visitors at West Point, in the summer season, it will 
we hope be perceived that the donation solicited 
would be well bestowed and, as far as the spiritual 
interests of this Church in general are concerned, 
productively invested. — 

It may be proper to add that St. Philips is the only 
Episcopal Church in the County, with an organized 
congregation. There is we believe an old Church at 
Paterson, a distance of near thirty miles, now gone to 
decay & never used, for the particular condition of 
which we refer to the Right Rev. Bishop of the Dio- 
cese. 
Philips Town— June 28, 1834 

(Signed) 

Harry Garrison ) „ T , 
~ ~ t Wardens 

S. Gouverneur ) 



Fredk. Philips 
John Garrison 
Danl. Haight 
A. E. Watson 



Vestrymen 



This formal petition was preceded by the following 
personal letter, written by Samuel Gouverneur : 

Highland Grange, 7 April 1834. 
My dear Sir: — 

When I had the pleasure of seeing you last Fall, 
you promised to speak to our friend Mr. Johnson 
on the subject of aiding us in repairing St. Philip's 



Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 203 

Church, and recommended our deferring it until the 
Spring. Our Congregation generally are poor, but 
increasing — We have made every exertion and shall 
still fall short $1000. If Trinity Church could aid us 
at present with about 500 D. and as much more when 
you settle with the Corporation for the Ground, they 
seem determined to take from the Church, in order to 
open Pine Street; it will enable our Vestry to fit up 
St. Philips respectably and comfortably. 

Our Vestry have never asked for any assistance 
before — this Church was originally built by the late 
Col. Robinson, and the Philips Family, who all be- 
long to Trinity Church, and I certainly think we have 
a very fair claim on the Mother Church, for some 
assistance at this time. Believe me with great regard 
Yours very truly, 

(Signed) S. Gouverneur. 1 
Thos. L. Ogden, Esq. 

The request was renewed again the following year in 
these words: 

To the Rector, Church Wardens & Vestrymen 
of Trinity Church in the City of New York. 

The undersigned on behalf of St. Philip's Church, 
in Putnam County, would again beg leave respect- 
fully, to call your attention to the Petition submitted 
by them about a year since, for aid, in repairing the 
Church under their care. 

Relying upon the encouragement that was last 
Season, indirectly given them, that some aid would 
be rendered by Trinity Church, and also upon the ex- 
ertion of certain individuals, by whom private sub- 
scriptions were solicited & obtained to the extent 
of say $350. to 400. a partial alteration & repair of 

1 Archives of Trinity Corporation. 



204 The History of St. Philip's Church 

the Church was commenced and an expenditure has 
been already incurred of near $300. The Season has 
now again returned when the work should be resumed 
and finished without delay, and the undersigned 
would therefore earnestly hope that by an early 
donation from Trinity Church, and the private con- 
tributions, already obtained, this long neglected 
Church may be put in a state of decent repair at last, 
if not upon a footing with those of other denomi- 
nations but a few miles distant. 

For the satisfaction of your Vestry, a statement of 
the proposed repairs, with an estimate of the cost is 
submitted upon the other side. 
We are 

Very respectfully yours 
Philips Town, April 16, 1836. 

Charles Luck, Rector. 



Harry Garrison, ) Tlcr , 
^ t Wardens. 

S. Gouverneur, J 



John Garrison, 

Daniel Haight, Y Vestrymen. 

Fredk. Philipse, 



! 



The petition was accompanied by this estimate for the 
proposed alterations and repair of St. Philip's Church: 

For Pulpit & Desk, Chancel & Pews, closing 
air door & other details inside — all which 
could not with any propriety be dispensed 
with $ 300. 

For repairing window sashes & Green blinds 
(The sashes now are very old & it has no 
blinds whatever) 150. 

For Portico on porch, there being now no 
protection whatever, from the weather, 
upon the outside 150. 



Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 205 

Painting the Church inside and outside, it 
being now entirely bare — and also the fence 
proposed to be built around the yard 350 . 

For enclosing the yard about 2J4 acres with 
a Pale fence — the grounds being now en- 
tirely exposed — Stone Walls, by which it 
formerly was enclosed in part requiring 
constant repair, on account of the frost and 
also for clearing the grounds now overrun 
with Brush y and making a convenient 
wagon road, through the yard to the 
Church for use in stormy weather — and 
sundry minor expenses 250 . 

$1200. 
Philips Farm, April 16, 1836. 

(Signed) 

F. Gouverneur 

Harry Garrison 

John Garrison 

Fredk. Philipse 

Danl. Haight. 

There is no record of a favorable response to this appeal. 
The alterations were not carried out until 1835 and 
were somewhat extensive. There is on record a contract 
between Samuel Gouverneur and George Lent, which 
provides for the building of "a Vestry-room, pulpit-desk 
and chancel/ ' in addition to which the roof was shingled, 
and the entrance was removed from the middle of the 
south side to the east end of the church. 

The account of the renovation is thus rendered : 
Dr. 

To contract of Geo. W. Lent, $241 . 78 

F. Griffin for Painting, 72 . 00 

Terbon for Paint 130.53 

$444.31 



206 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Cr. 

Sundry subscriptions, mainly from New York, 



collected by Rev. Mr. Luck, 


$105.00 


Henry De Rham for repairs 


50.00 


Saml Gouverneur for repairs 


100.00 


Mr. and Mrs. DeRham for Paint, 


50.00 


Miss Moore, for painting 


5.00 


F. Griffin, to paint, 


2.00 


F. Griffin, allowance for Brushes, 


.63 


Harry Garrison 


10.00 


Saml. Gouverneur to paint, 


25.00 


Collected by Judge Harry Garrison, 


16.00 


Balance due, 


80.68 




$444.31 



The balance was paid by Samuel Gouverneur and 
Frederick Philipse. 

Thus renovated the church was consecrated on the 
27th of July, 1837, by Bishop Onderdonk, who reports 
to the Diocesan Convention: 

Consecrated S. Philips Church, Philipstown, Put- 
nam County: a building erected before the Revolu- 
tionary War, and consequently, as we had no Bishop, 
not been consecrated; but recently renewed in the 
interior in a very neat and commodious manner. 1 

The Revs. Thomas Warner, Richard Cox and John 
Brown (St. George's, Newburgh) were present and 
assisted in the service, which was made more memorable 
by the ordination to the priesthood of the Rev. Henry 
Lemuel Storrs, minister of the parish. 

In The Churchman, Bishop Onderdonk thus describes 
the service: 

1 New York Convention Journal, 1837. 




<^<^ - _x (y^^/^^s^Jz y-T^/f*— 



Bishop of New York 



Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 207 

Thursday, July 27th, consecrated St. Philip's 
Church, Philipstown, and admitted its minister, the 
Rev. H. L. Storrs, Deacon to the Priesthood. The 
Instrument of Donation was presented on behalf of 
the Vestry, by the Hon. Harry Garrison, and read 
by the minister. The sentence of Consecration was 
read by the Rev. John Brown, rector of St. George's 
Church, Newburgh, Orange County; who also read 
Morning Prayer, assisted by the Rev. Thomas Warner 
chaplain and professor in the United States Military 
Academy, West Point, who read the lesson; the ser- 
mon preached by the Bishop; and the candidate 
presented by the Rev. Richard Cox. 1 

Reading between the lines of the records, it is possible 
to glean some idea of Church life and worship during the 
last years of the eighteenth and the opening years of the 
nineteenth centuries. The chapel was a barn-like 
structure of clap-boards, standing on a wooded knoll and 
surrounded by a few weather-beaten gravestones. It 
was built of oak and there is a tradition that the boards 
were axe-hewn from trees grown upon what is now the 
Highland House property. That it was a small building 
is witnessed by a pencilled note on the fly-leaf of the 
original minute book of the Vestry, which reads, "Sept. 
7th, 1846. I measured the size of S. Philip's Church 
outside and find it 30 x 36 feet. F. P." (Frederick 
Philipse). Prior to 1835 the entrance was in the middle 
of the south side of the chapel, and the lofty rounded- 
top windows reached to the roof plate. The interior 
was severely plain. The walls were bare boards, not 
being plastered until 1835. The most conspicuous 
feature was the tall "three-decker pulpit," which stood 

1 Churchman, 1837. Vol. VII. No. 21. 



208 The History of St. Philip's Church 

in the center and was surrounded by a Communion rail. 
There was a large window behind the pulpit. For sixty- 
five years there was no Vestry-room, but a portion of the 
west end was partitioned off by a blue curtain. In the 
early days pews were unknown, the worshippers sitting 
on rough hewn benches. In 1809 permission was ac- 
corded by the Vestry to Harry Garrison and others to 
build pews in the chapel. An unnamed writer of 1813 
says of St. Philip's, "A few pews were erected by indi- 
viduals, and temporary seats of plank for the conven- 
ience of others." 1 

The services were as unpretending as the structure. 
There was no choir and no organ, but on special occasions 
a bass viol was used. The tunes were "set" by someone 
in the congregation . Maria Nelson was the first ' * singer, * ' 
but complaint was made that "this was too much like 
the Methodists," and the experiment was abandoned. 
The minister read the Liturgy in a surplice, and during 
the singing of the hymn before the sermon retired behind 
the curtain to don a black gown for preaching. For 
many years the men sat on one side of the church and the 
women on the other. Almost every Sunday the children 
of the parish were catechized before their grave and rever- 
end elders. Unlooked for incidents at times interfered 
with the comfort and disturbed the gravity of the assem- 
bled worshippers. Not infrequently the stove smoked 
badly and induced an epidemic of coughing. Dogs accom- 
panied their masters to church, and, once at least, set to 
fighting in the middle of the service. After one of the 
dogs had indulged in a fit, dumb animals were excluded. 

1 Hobart MSS. 



Chapel of St. Philips in the Highlands 209 

The difficulties confronting the chapel in those early 
days were enough to daunt the bravest. For the first 
thirteen years of its history there were no Bishops of the 
Church in America, and for still another three years no 
Bishop in the whole State of New York. Appeal after 
appeal had been sent to England for Episcopal oversight, 
but political and other reasons prevailed against favorable 
action, and, as a contemporary writer said, "there seems 
no one to care for these few poor sheep in the wilderness. " 

The number of available clergy for the American 
Colonies was painfully inadequate. For the most part 
they were men who were sent out as missionaries by the 
English Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in 
Foreign Parts, and that admirable Society was limited 
on the one hand by lack of funds, and on the other by 
scarcity of men who were able and willing to cross the 
seas. Fewer still were the Americans who were qualified 
for Holy Orders, and few as they were, the difficulties 
in the way of ordination were well nigh insuperable. 
Orders could be only obtained at the hands of the English 
Bishops, and the journey was long and costly. In those 
days a voyage across the Atlantic was not without its 
real perils. When Joseph Lamson, one of the first of the 
clergy to preach at Peekskill, left America with Mr. 
Miner to seek ordination in England, he and his com- 
panion were captured by the French on the voyage, and 
were imprisoned in France and Spain for five months. 
Eventually both men reached England, where Mr. Miner 
died. 1 Such incidents did not make it easier to gain 
recruits for the sacred ministry. 

1 Two Hundred Years of the S. P. G., Vol. II, p. 356. 



210 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

Scarcely was the parish of St. Peter's and St. Philip's 
organized when the political difficulties with England 
threatened to become acute. The Church was viewed 
with the gravest suspicion because of its English origin. 
There is an old tradition that when George Washington, 
with his staff, was riding past St. Philip's, one of his 
officers said, "That is a Tory Church," to which Wash- 
ington replied, "It is my Church." Whether that be 
true or not, it is an index to the current feeling concerning 
the Church in the Colonies. Certainly the Clergy were 
in a most embarrassing situation. At their ordination 
they had taken the solemn oath of allegiance to the 
King, and it was no light matter to violate that oath. 

The idea that the Church in America was bitterly 
opposed to the struggle for Independence dies hard. The 
truth really is, it was sharply divided into two camps — 
Whig and Tory. Bishop Seabury was a Tory of the 
Tories; Bishop White was a Whig, and one of Washing- 
ton's trusted advisers; that line of division ran through 
the whole Church. Such sharp political dissension was 
very marked in this parish. The leading Churchman 
in the Highlands was Beverly Robinson, senior Warden 
of the parish, and in Cortlandt, Pierre Van Cortlandt. 
Beverly Robinson fought on the British side, and Pierre 
Van Cortlandt was one of the trusted leaders of the 
Revolution. The first Rector, the Rev. John Doty, 
though an American by birth, was an uncompromising 
Tory, whilst Joshua Nelson and Daniel Birdsall, two of 
his Vestrymen, were ardent Revolutionists. The manu- 
script records of the State during the Revolution show 
that Joseph Travis, Daniel Birdsall, Samuel Drake, 
Abraham and Ebenezer Purdy were members of the 



Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 211 

* 'Committee' ' and that in July, 1776, Francis Pemart, 
James Spock and William Penoyer applied to the Pro- 
vincial Congress for leave to form a company of artillery. 1 
On the other hand in the list of Tories appear the names 
of Joshua Purdy, Elijah Purdy, Peter Drake, Peter Cor- 
ney, Isaac Hatfield and Caleb Morgan. On June 15th, 
1776, Joshua Purdy, Peter Corneyand Caleb Morgan were 
ordered under arrest and imprisoned in White Plains jail 
by the Commissioners to Detect Conspiracies. 2 Politi- 
cally, the parish was divided against itself. Little wonder 
that the churches were closed, the Vestry meetings sus- 
pended, and no regular services held from 1775 to 1790. 

The parish resumed its life in a crippled condition. 
It had no Rector; its former Warden and chief benefac- 
tor had fled the country; it had lost its glebe farm, on 
which it principally depended for the support of a min- 
ister; and of St. Philip's Chapel "nothing remained but 
the frame and the roof; the floor, siding, doors and win- 
dows being destroyed or taken away during the War." 3 

From 1790 onwards to 1830 the minutes bear ample 
witness to pathetic, and often vain attempts, to secure 
ministerial oversight. There were even fewer Clergy 
than before the Revolution. When Provoost became 
first Bishop of New York in 1787 he found himself with 
only a handful of Clergy for the entire State. The 
harvest truly was great, but the laborers were few. 
England could no longer be looked to for men, and in 
1785 the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel ceased 
to send out missionaries to America. Weakened by 

1 Calendar of Historical MSS. 1664-1776, p. 473. 

2 Ibid, 341, 455. 

3 Hobart MSS. 



212 The History of St. Philip's Church 

the Revolution, the American Church was not yet in 
a position to supply her own ministerial needs. Hence 
in the life of the parish there were long intervals dur- 
ing which no Rector could be obtained, and the work 
languished. Sometimes the gap was filled by the 
employment of laymen who "read the services in the 
Church," but oftener the doors of the churches were 
closed and the bell rang out no call to public worship. 
Appeal after appeal was made to the Bishop, as witness 
the appointment of a committee in 1809 "to intercede 
with the Bishop for a Clergyman." But the Bishop 
was powerless, for he had "no candidate," and could only 
promise "to charge his memory with the application." 

There was another, and very practical reason for the 
difficulty in obtaining a Rector, and that was the pitiful 
smallness of the remuneration offered. In those days the 
Highlands were scantily peopled by what the historian of 
1813 calls "an indigent population," who gave scanty 
support to the two Churches, and the various Rectors 
shared the general poverty. In 1770 the Rev. John 
Doty was "passing rich on forty pounds a year," and 
in 1792 the Rev. Andrew Fowler was paid seventy 
pounds per annum, New York currency — one hundred 
and seventy-five dollars. The same modest stipend was 
paid to his successor, the Rev. Samuel Haskell, but in 
1797 the Vestry intimated to Mr. Haskell that owing to 
"the rapid decline of religious worship it was impossible 
to continue his annual support." In 1806 the compen- 
sation of the Rev. Joseph Warren was two hundred 
dollars "together with the Glebe." In a letter dated 
March 5th, 1827, the Rev. Edward J. Ives writes from 
Peekskill to Bishop Hobart asking for assistance and 



Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 213 

says, "My salary is insufficient to support me. I must 
have assistance from some source, or relinquish the 
charge of these Churches. The object of my writing 
you was, in part, to ask charity to support my little 
family. My salary for the ensuing year is to be only 
$300 — a little more if they can get it — a scanty pittance 
indeed." 1 Scanty as was the "pittance," it was not 
promptly paid. There were no pew rents, and the 
Rector's stipend had to be raised by subscriptions, which 
were not always forthcoming, for in 1794 we find the 
Rev. Andrew Fowler complaining to the Vestry that 
"the Church at Peekskill had neglected to discharge their 
part of the first half of the first year's salary." If, as 
happened at least once in the parish, the Rector was 
not popular, his stipend was not forthcoming. In the 
Hobart collection there is preserved an interesting letter 
written by Harry Garrison to the Bishop in 1813, in 
which he says, "we are as able today to support a good 
Rector as we were the first day he came to our place — but 
are not willing to pay him." 2 

It is not therefore surprising to learn — from another 
source — that "the present incumbent, although aided 
by a school, found it difficult to subsist last Fall until 
Captain Philipse, William Henderson and William Den- 
ning contributed by gift to his relief!" 

The whole situation is summed up in a letter written 
ninety-six years ago to the Bishop, "Several essays were 
made to establish a respectable Clergyman, but the sums 
subscribed held out indifferent encouragement to such." 3 

1 Hobart MSS. 

2 Hobart MSS. 

3 Hobart MSS. 



214 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Little wonder that the sheep, so often unshepherded, 
strayed from the fold. The congregations diminished; 
the Holy Communion was infrequently administered; 
baptisms and confirmations were rare; and the dead 
were buried either by laymen, or without a service at all. 
A sad, though interesting, picture of conditions in 1827 is 
sketched by the Rev. Edward J. Ives. He writes to the 
Bishop : 

In compliance with your request I came into the 
parishes of Peekskill and Philipstown immediately 
after I had received letters of recommendation from 
you to the most influential and wealthy Episcopalians 
who professed to belong to them. I found the Church 
in a wretched, disorganized state, its former mem- 
bers strayed from the "true fold," and but very few 
left who were nominally Episcopalians, and these 
ignorant of the usages and institutions of their Church. 
Methodism and Calvinism and what not had led 
them into the paths of error and schism, and the 
general cry was, "it is no matter what we are, so long 
as we believe in and agree the fundamental doc- 
trines of Christianity." Lamentable to relate, this 
cry (to the injury of our church) is made even among 
those who call themselves Churchmen. These pro- 
fessions of Charity on the part of Episcopalians are 
very pleasing to the ear of those, who once perse- 
cuted us to the death, but who are now from sinister 
motives adopting a contrary course. But it affords 
me infinite pleasure in mentioning to you that the 
societies now under my charge are in a more flour- 
ishing state than what they were two or three months 
after I came here. The Church in the Highlands 
has been repaired since I came here. They raised a 
subscription to the amount of five hundred dollars 
to do it. It is now well finished, and has had an 



Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 215 

addition of five to her communicants. The Church 
at Peekskill is out of repair, and it requires about one 
hundred dollars to make it decent to meet in. 1 

One more factor added immensely to parochial diffi- 
culties, and that was the extreme bitterness of feeling 
between the Church and other Christian bodies — notably 
the Presbyterians, who were the oldest and strongest 
body in this vicinity. It was characteristic of the times. 
The letters of the missionaries of the Society for the Prop- 
agation of the Gospel are full of the bitter persecutions 
they suffered at the hands of those who served the same 
Lord. Neither one side nor the other made any attempt 
to "hold the faith in the unity of the Spirit and the bond of 
peace." On the contrary, they were at war. They re- 
joiced more over making one proselyte than in the turning 
of many sinners to repentance. The feeling against the 
Church was partly political, and partly doctrinal, but it 
was exceedingly strong. The weakness of the parish 
through the lack of a regular ministry was eagerly seized 
as an opportunity for an inroad. In 1813 it was reported 
of the parish to Bishop Hobart that 

the congregation has been greatly lessened by other 
denominations taking advantage of the paralyzed 
state of the Churches remaining so long without 
funds, and without a minister, but on arrival of its 
prosperity, it would soon recover these members and 
many others. 2 

The most formidable personal rival of the Church was 
the Rev. Silas Constant, the minister of the Presbyterian 
Church at Yorktown from 1783 to 1825. Mr. Constant, 

1 Hobart MSS. 

2 Hobart MSS. 



216 The History of St . P hilip 9 s Church 

for some years, kept a journal in which he recorded his 
journeyings, and that journal has recently been printed 
for private circulation. He was untiring in his efforts 
to build up his church, and especially so in Peekskill and 
the Highlands, where he visited and preached almost 
daily. His journal records repeated services held in the 
house of the Birdsalls, the Drakes, the Wards and the 
Dusenburys, all of whom were members of the Vestry. 
He was persistent in his efforts to hold services in St. 
Peter's Church, and, thrice he records his preaching at 
"the Church in the Highlands." About 1806 Daniel 
Birdsall applied to the Vestry for leave to Mr. Constant 
to preach in St. Peter's. The application evidently 
caused some embarrassment, for on October 20th, 1806, 
it was 

Voted that the consideration of Mr. Constants 
preaching in the Church be post-poned until next 
Vestry meeting, 

and on Easter Monday, 1807, it was again 

Voted that the consideration of the Rev. Mr. Con- 
stants preaching in the Church be deferred. 

A little later in the year the Vestry resolved 

That leave cannot be granted to the Rev. Mr. Con- 
stant to preach in the Church of S. Peter's consistent 
with the Canons of the Church. 

Leave, or no leave, Mr. Constant did preach in the 
churches. As early as 1791 his journal records his ser- 
vices in the Church at Philipsto wn : 

February 15th, 1791. — Preached at the Church in 
the Highlands, 2 Peter last. October 24th, 1796.— 



Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 217 

Rode to the Highlands, preached [at the] Church, 
Psalms xci, 1; staid at Mr. Nelson's. 

August 25th, 1799 — Preached at Highlands Isaiah 
liii, 10, married E. Osborne and H. Bedell. 1 

In 1814 there stands in the minutes of the Vestry this 
resolution : 

Voted, that the sum of ninety-one dollars and fifty 
cents be paid to Mr. Constant out of the money not 
otherwise appropriated, one half to be paid to Mr 
Constant out of the first half rent year, the remainder 
at the years end to be paid by James Mandevill to said 
Mr Constant. 

There is no indication of the reason for this payment. 
Mr. Constant had become a Congregationalist, and 
apparently he tried once more to secure the churches for 
preaching, for in 1816 we read in the minutes of the 
Vestry: 

Whereas there has been an application to the 
Wardens and Vestrymen of the two United Churches 
of S. Peter's and S. Philips for to allow the Inde- 
pendent Congregation to occupy a part of the Church 
when not occupied by us, and the question being put 
weather they would consent to let the application 
made to us, it was unanimously agreed that we give 
no such consent until further consideration. 

By the courtesy of surviving members of the family I 
am able to copy some entries from the journal of the late 
Samuel Gouverneur bearing on Church life in the thir- 
ties: 

1 Journal of the Rev. Silas Constant, pp. 176, 255 % 333. 



218 The History of St. Philip's Church 

1831. Saturday, 28th May. Bishop Onderdonk ar- 
rived this afternoon. 

Sunday, 29th May. Bishop Onderdonk offic- 
iated in S. Philips Church and left us Monday 
evening for New Burgh. 
Sunday, 10th July. Mr Mitchell preached in 
S. Philips Church and all the family attended. 

1832. Sunday, 3rd May. Bishop Onderdonk came 
over from West Point and preached for us. 
Sunday 14th October. Paid James McLennan 
$1 to pay Clergyman. 

Friday 28th December. Rev. Mr Sunderland 
arrived with letter from Bishop Onderdonk. 
Vestry meeting held at Crofts. 
Sunday, Dec. 30th. Mr. Sunderland preached 
in S. Philips Church with a pretty good con- 
gregation; remained till April 1st at the rate 
of $300 per annum; 

1833. Wednesday, 8th May. Bishop Onderdonk 
and Mr Judd arrived. 

Thursday, 9th May, Mr. Sunderland ordained 
Priest. 1 

It may be interesting to reproduce a statement of the 
account of St. Philip's Chapel, dated February 8th, 1834: 

To balance brought forward, $ 68 . 16 

To cash S. Gouverneur (subscription), 72.50 

« R. D. Arden, 10.00 

" A.E.Watson, 8.00 

" paid Rev. J. Sunderland, 30.00 

do by Fredk Philipse, 25 . 00 

To Bill of Board for Rev. J. Sunderland, 190 . 00 

To Horse Hire 4.50 

To going to Farm to collect Rent, 2.00 

To cash paid to William Nelson in suit with 

James Mandeville 13.94 

Interest on Mr. Sunderland's Board Bill, 8 . 19 

1 MS. Journal of Samuel Gouverneur. 




J 



Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 219 

In the same year under date of September 17th there 
is preserved this memorandum of the subscriptions for 
the support of Mr. Sunderland: 

Paid by Harry Garrison to Mr. Sunderland $ . 62J^ 



Rec'd of Harry Garrison by C. 


Nelson 


4.37^ 


Rec'd of Catherine Copper 




2.50 


Rec'd of Capt. J. Warren 




2.00 


Rec'd of Daniel Haight 




2.00 


Rec'd of John F. Haight 




1.50 


Rec'd of Richard Hopper 




.50 


Rec'd of Richard D. Arden 




10.00 


Geo. Haight — paid to Mr Sunderland 


3.00 


Daniel Haight do 




1.00 


Rec'd of Richard D. Arden in full of his sub- 




cription 




10.00 


Reed of I. N. Mead 




1.00 



$38,493^ 
On this subscription paper there is this endorsement: 

Captain Corn 8 Nelson 

I inclose you our Subscription List and wish you 
would hire a horse and go round this afternoon and 
collect what you can — except Mr Gouv Kemble, as 
Mr Sunderland will be here to-morrow. I request 
you'll not refuse me this favour which shall be paid 
for 

S. Gouverneur 

Saturday Afternoon. 

The spiritual condition of the chapel may be gleaned 
from the page of the Journal of the Diocese of New 
York. In 1834 the Rev. J. Sunderland reports: 

Baptisms 4 

Communicants 14 

Sunday School: Teachers 7, Scholars 25 



220 The History of St. Philip's Church 

and adds, "the prospects before us are somewhat en- 
couraging. Our congregation is on the gradual increase, 
and their appears to be an increasing attention to the 
weekly ministrations of the Gospel." 1 

Two years later, his successor, the Rev. H. L. Storrs, 
reports, "I preach once every Sunday at Philipstown. I 
also preach every Sunday afternoon at Cold Spring, a 
village three miles from Philipstown. I have been so 
short a time here that it has not been in my power to 
ascertain as yet much in relation to the state of Religion 
and the Church. There is every reason however to 
believe that a faithful discharge of ministerial duty will 
advance their piety. A Sunday School has already been 
formed in S. Philip's Church which is very well attended, 
and, as has ever been the case, will be the means of dis- 
seminating much valuable religious instruction amongst 
not only the children, but also the members of the 
parish." 2 

In 1837 the parochial returns show 

Baptisms 2 

Confirmations 4 

Communicants 15 

Marriages 3 

Funerals 3 

Sunday School : Teachers 3. Scholars 37 

and the following contributions : 

Education and Missionary Society 6-62 

Episcopal Fund 1-96 

Diocesan Fund 2-03 

Various purposes 20-28 

1 New York Convention Journal, 1834, p. 95. 

2 New York Convention Journal, 1836, p. 86. 



Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands 221 

In 1838 the Rev. Edward C. Bull reports, "It is about 
three months that I have been engaged in this place in the 
performance of ministerial duty. During the Winter 
previous to my arrival the Church, as I have been in- 
formed, was closed. The Sunday School was however 
kept in operation." 1 

Mr. Bull preached in St. Philip's on Sunday mornings, 
and in the afternoon at Cold Spring, "where there are 
some zealous Episcopalians, but, as yet, no regularly 
organized parish." 

The year 1839 was the last of association with St. 
Peter's. The Rev. Ebenezer Williams reports two con- 
firmations, and thirty Sunday School scholars " with the 
efficient aid of six female teachers." Of the work at 
Cold Spring he says, "It is strongly anticipated that a 
neat and commodious Episcopal edifice will be erected 
in the course of the coming year." Writing of his work 
at St. Philips, he adds: 

I rejoice that Providence seems to smile upon the 
congregation, and I cannot but flatter myself that my 
feeble efforts to promote the glory of God and the 
salvation of immortal souls will be crowned with 
success. At the Episcopal visitation twenty-one 
partook of the Holy Sacrament. I am not able at 
present to ascertain the exact number of Com- 
municants, no parish Register having been kept of the 
past year. The ladies of the Church, in conjunction 
with the charitable female members of the congre- 
gation, and others at Cold Spring have formed a 
"Ladies Benevolent Society," which is in successful 
operation. The great need of Sunday School books 
and other means to encourage children to attend, 

1 New York Convention Journal, 1838, p. 91. 



222 The History of St. Philip's Church 

most of them living at a considerable distance from 
the Church, has hitherto prevented my presenting the 
necessary canonical collections, but shall forthwith 
attend to them, hoping they will be liberally contri- 
buted. 1 

In the eighteenth century public education was mainly 
carried on under the auspices of the Churches, and Garri- 
son was no exception to the rule. The first school-house 
stood in the chapel grounds, and was apparently erected 
by the Vestry. In a letter written to Bishop Hobart 
in 1813 it is stated that "a small decent School house was 
erected in 1785," 2 but nothing is recorded in the minutes 
of the Vestry until April 10th, 1793, when it was 

Resolved, that a building shall be erected on the 
land belonging to the Protestant Episcopal Church 
in Philips Town for the purpose of a Free School for- 
ever, which house shall be built by Subscription. 

Three years later complaint was made to the Vestry 
that St. Philip's Chapel "had been lately taken for the 
purpose of 'Scholastic Exhibitions' without consent," 
and a reprimand was addressed to Mr. Jacob Lent, the 
schoolmaster, in these terms: 

Whereas complaint has been entered before the Ves- 
try of S. Peters and S. Philips Churches that the 
doors of S. Philips Church have been opened without 
the consent of the Rector and Vestry for the purpose 
of Scholastic exhibitions, which being contrary to the 
rules and regulations of the Protestant Episcopal 
Churches, (we) have agreed, that for the future, 

1 New York Convention Journal, 1839, p. 86. 

2 Hobart MSS. 



Chapel of St. Philip's in the Highlands %%3 

that you do not open the said Church for such like 
Exercises without the consent of the Rector and 
Vestry. 

The said Jacob Lent was a person of considerable im- 
portance in the parish. There is a tradition that he was 
a college man, and before becoming a schoolmaster was a 
surveyor. Born in 1771, he was married to Maria Haws 
on the 15th of September, 1794, by the Rev. Silas Con- 
stant. 1 He resided in the little house attached to the 
school, and his salary was fifteen dollars per month. 
During the times that the parish was without a clergy- 
man, Jacob Lent read the services in both churches. On 
April 3rd, 1809, it was 

Voted at a Vestry meeting that Jacob Lent be al- 
lowed twenty-five dollars for his Services past and 
ensuing year — Reading Services in both the Churches. 

He lived to a ripe old age and was buried in the church- 
yard a few yards from the old schoolhouse. The inscrip- 
tion on his gravestone reads, 

JACOB LENT 

Died February 16th, 1857 

Aged 86 years, 1 month and five days. 

"Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord." 

For very many years the ground for the school was 
leased to the Trustees by the Vestry for a nominal 
rental of thirty dollars a year. In the course of time it 
was found that the playing of the children in the church- 
yard was undesirable, and in 1866 Mr. Frederick Philipse 
sold to the Trustees another site and the schoolhouse was 
finally removed from the Church property. 

1 Journal of the Rev. Silas Constant, p. 245. 



224 The History of St. Philip's Church 

From a memorandum in the handwriting of Frederick 
Philipse it appears that there was no regular meeting of 
the Vestry between 1834 and 1836, it being almost im- 
possible to secure a quorum. In the later years of the 
connection between the two churches he adds, "Accord- 
ingly S. Philips had to be supported chiefly by voluntary 
contributions and the attention of a few of the Vestry 
from Philipstown, near the Church, without official 
meetings." Thus informally in 1836 Frederick Philipse 
was appointed Clerk and Treasurer, Cornelius Nelson, 
Collector, and Lazarus Hopper, Sexton. 

These informal arrangements continued until 1840 
when St. Philip's in the Highlands became the head of a 
parish. 



CHAPTER VIII. 

THE PARISH OF ST. PHILIP'S IN THE HIGHLANDS. 
1840-1911. 

TOWARDS the close of the year 1839 formal steps 
were taken to dissolve the ecclesiastical connection 
between St. Peter's and St. Philip's, and make the 
latter an independent parish. The reasons for this have 
been already set forth; suffice now to say that the two 
churches parted with the utmost goodwill. The glebe 
farm was sold and the proceeds divided between the two 
parishes, St. Peter's receiving a cash payment of $2,500 
and St. Philip's a bond and mortgage for a like amount, 
and the way was thus made clear for the creation of an- 
other parish. 

The minutes of the vestry set forth the separation in 
these terms: 

April 18th, 1840. On this day, on previous appli- 
cation of the Wardens and Vestry of S. Peter's Church 
and S. Philip's Chapel, though without a formal 
meeting of the Vestry, an Act was passed by the Legis- 
lature of the State of New York, authorizing a separa- 
tion of the said church and chapel of which the fol- 
lowing is a copy : 

An Act for the Relief of S. Peter s Church in the 
County of Westchester and S. Philip's Chapel in the 
County of Putnam. Passed April 18th, 1840. 

The People of the State of New York represented 
in Senate and Assembly do enact as follows : 



226 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Section 1. Whenever the legal members of the 
religious Corporation called the Corporation of S. 
Peter's Church in Peekskill, town of Cortlandt and 
County of Westchester and S. Philip's Chapel in the 
Highlands, town of Philips Town, County of Dutchess, 
now Putnam, respectively residing at or near to the 
aforesaid Peekskill and Philipstown shall respec- 
tively become Incorporated under the general Act 
for the incorporation of Religious Societies in each of 
the several said towns, it shall be lawful for the Cor- 
poration first named to divide all its real and personal 
property and to grant convey and assign severally 
into each of the new religious Corporations so created, 
such and so much of the real and personal property 
now held by the first named Corporation as by agree- 
ment between said several Churches shall be adjudged 
the just and equitable proportion of the said property 
for the support of the Gospel according to the doc- 
trines and worship of the Protestant Episcopal Church 
in each of the said towns on such terms and con- 
ditions, and the assumption of such debts and lia- 
bilities of the first named Corporation as may be 
agreed upon as just and proper. 
2. Whenever such division and distribution of said 
property shall be made and accepted, the first named 
Corporation shall be dissolved, and both the new 
Corporations shall be jointly and severally liable to 
the extent of the assets they may receive from the 
dissolved Corporation for all debts and claims against 
the same. 

In accordance with the aforesaid notice the members 
of the congregation met in the church, and the parish 
was incorporated under the name of "The Church 
Wardens and Vestrymen of St. Philip's Church in the 
Highlands." The certificate of incorporation was re- 
corded by the County Clerk on July 24th, approved by 
the Bishop of the Diocese, and the new parish was 
received into union by the Diocesan Convention. 

The first necessary step was the election of Church 
Wardens and Vestrymen, which resulted as follows: 



Vestrymen. 



Parish of St Philip's in the Highlands %%7 

Samuel Gouverneur \ Church Wardens< 
Harry Garrison 

Daniel Haight 
Frederick Philipse 
John Garrison 
Henry C. deRham 
Richard D. Arden 
Cornelius Nelson 
Joshua Nelson 
Justus Nelson, 2nd 

The Rev. Ebenezer Williams, who was minister in 
charge before the incorporation of the Parish, was con- 
tinued in that capacity for one year at a salary of $375 
per annum. He also ministered to the newly formed 
congregation at Cold Spring, but the Vestry declined 
to take any responsibility for payment for services 
rendered to St. Mary's. 

In the same year Mrs. Mary Allen, "late of Tarry- 
town," made the Church her residuary legatee; the 
amount, $913.36, was invested in the "new Steam Boat 
Wharf at Cold Spring/* 

At the outset of parochial life the Clergy were engaged 
for one year only as ministers in charge. In 1843 this 
was departed from and a Rector was elected. Bitter 
dissension arose between the Rector and the Vestry. 
When these relations were terminated, the Clergy were 
again engaged for one year, subject to three months' 
notice, and a Rector was not elected until 1854. The 
compensation was miserably small. In 1840 it was 
fixed at $375, and afterwards reduced to $250, to which 
Cold Spring added its quota. In 1852 it was raised to 
I, payable quarterly. 



228 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

It is interesting to look back seventy years and note the 
parochial conditions then existing in the Highlands. 
Numerically and financially it was the day of small 
things. The congregation was meagre, the people, for 
the most part, poor, and the maintenance of the Church 
and the minister depended mainly on a few families who 
were resident for only a portion of the year. 

Through the medium of the yearly reports made to the 
Diocesan Convention we can picture accurately the con- 
ditions. In 1840 the Rev. Ebenezer Williams reports: 

Baptisms Adults 6. Children 22. 
Marriages 1 . 
Funerals 2 . 

Communicants 24. 

and adds: 

The services of the Church are performed regularly 
every Sunday morning. The Rector acknowledges 
with gratitude the continuance of the Divine good- 
ness to himself and his charge during his residence 
here. Some have been added to the Communion 
and there is an increased attendance on public wor- 
ship, and the spiritual concerns of the parish are in a 
most healthy state. Aged men who have not fre- 
quented the Church of God from ten to fifteen years 
are among our present worshippers. The Holy Eu- 
charist has been administered four times. 1 

In 1841 there are reported 27 communicants, and 30 
Sunday School scholars with "efficient teachers," and the 
following contributions : 

1 New York Convention Journal, 1840. 



Parish of St Philip's in the Highlands 229 

Education and Domestic Missionary Society 6 . 25 

Protestant Episcopal Tract Society 4 . 05 

Foreign Missionary 3 . 00 

New York Bible and Prayer Book Society 3. 11 

This same report of 1841 marks growing activities: 

During the last year, in addition to the regular 
morning service on Sundays, the Church was opened 
at Christmas, Thanksgiving Day, the National Fast 
and Good Friday. The Rector has officiated and 
preached at two Funerals Eastward of the parish, also 
at West Point; visited the sick, baptized two persons, 
administered the Holy Eucharist in a sick chamber, 
and officiated at the funeral of Lieutenant Breasford. 1 

The parish started upon its career burdened with a 
heavy debt in the shape of a note to an attorney, and 
unable to collect the interest upon the mortgage it held on 
the glebe farm. How small were the sums derived from 
the offerings may be surmised from copies of extant 
documents. 

The first is the account of the Rev. Ebenezer Williams, 
dated July 5th, 1840: 



Paid 


out for Church. 


Offerings. 


28th July 


For Pole- 


July 5th Coll for 




Trimmings and 


Painting 4 . 75 




Making 12.75 


12th Sunday Col- 


10th Aug 


For Spade, 


lection 2.18 




Pick & Shovel 


19th do 1.00 




2.00 


26th do 2.66 


17th " 


Sent to Mr 


June 14th Sacrament do 7 . 60 




Butler for Tract 


Aug 2nd do 4.71 




Society 6.05 


9th Tract Society 




Gave a Poor 


do 4.05 




Woman . 76 





1 New York Convention Journal, 1841. 



230 The History of St 


. Philip 9 s Church 


Paid out for Church. 


Offerings, 


7th Sept. For one 


16th Sunday Col- 


Blind 7.50 


lection 4 . 02 


Bad money 


23rd do 4.15 


in Collection . 25 


30th do 4.40 


Gave a poor 


Sept 6th do 2.84 


Widow .50 


Sept 13th Sunday Col- 


Gave a poor 


lection 2.07 


Man .50 


" 20th do 1.30 


Two Blinds for 


" 27th do 1.31 


Church 16.00 


Oct. 4th do .67 


Rope, Nails 

& Twine .80 




$47.71 


$47.11 




Due to the Church . 60 




Going to Convention $6 . 00 




Wood for Church $1 . 76 





The Rev. Robert Shaw's account for the Communion 
Alms stands thus : 

From October 1st, 1843, to October 1st, 1844, the 
following collections were made on the days when the 
Communion was administered: 



Oct. 1st 


1.33 


Nov. 5th 


3.81 


Dec. 25th 


3.41 


Feby 4th 


2.74 


March 3rd 


1.98 


April 7th 


2.70 


May 26th 


2.60 



Parish of St Philip's in the Highlands 231 

July 7th 2.66 

Aug. 11th 2.57 

$23.80 
Out of the above sum there have been taken : 

For the poor of the parish 10 . 13 

For Sunday School Books 5 . 67 

For the Diocesan Education Society 1 . 00 
For washing Surplice and the cloths belonging 

to the Communion Table . 37 
Given in Charity to a poor person not belonging 

to the parish . 50 

$17.67 

Leaving a balance of $6. 16 in my hands, Oct. 1st, 1844. 

The collections were placed at the disposal of the 
Rector for charity and "paying expense to Convention 
&c," and, in the absence of a Rector, clerical supplies 
were paid $5.00 per Sunday. There is no mention 
made of pew rents until 1865, and the main income 
of the Church was derived from annual subscriptions, 
which were gathered in by a collector appointed an- 
nually. 

Some of these subscription lists are still extant. For 
1839 the paper reads: 

We, the subscribers, promise to pay to the Treasurer 
of St. Philip's Church, the sum set opposite to our 
respective names, for the support of such Episcopal 
Clergyman as may be called to officiate in St. Philip's 
Church and at Cold Spring. 

N. B. — Rev. E. Williams first officiated here June 
9th, 1839. It is proposed to allow him the whole 
amount of subscriptions, as if he had commenced on 
1st May. 



232 The History of St. Philip's Church 



S. Gouverneur 


$100.00 


H. C. de Rham 


50.00 


R. P. Parrott 


25.00 


Harry Garrison 
Rich. D. Arden 


10.00 
10.00 


Gouverneur Kemble 


50.00 


William Kemble 


50.00 


John Garrison 


10.00 


John Uhl 


10.00 


Daniel Haight 
Mrs. Rossiter 


5.00 
5.00 


J. Mills Brown 


3.00 




r E. Foote 


15.00 


Cold 
Spring 
Foundry «< 
Subscrip- 


Peter Henry 
Thos. Prince 


2.00 
3.00 


Henry Bartoll 
Charles Hazwell 
Theodore Foster 


5.00 
5.00 
2.00 


tions 


Joseph Robertson 
Daniel Robertson 


2.00 
2.00 



This list is noteworthy for the reason that it marks 
the beginnings of financial support for the new devel- 
opment of the Church in the village of Cold Spring. 
The subscription for 1840 — the first year of inde- 
pendent parochial life — total one hundred and eight 
dollars (not including Cold Spring) . The new names 
are Cornelius Nelson, Jr., Justus Nelson and 
Cornelius Mandeville Nelson. 

The Treasurer was required, by resolution of the 
Vestry (1842), to keep two books, in one of which the 
annual subscriptions were to be entered, and the other 
to contain "receipts in full for all monies whatsoever 
expended/ ' It was also agreed that the Treasurer 
should "be compensated for extra services or disburse- 
ments," but no payment has ever been made under this 



Parish of St. Philip's in the Highlands 233 

head. In 1843 it was resolved "that the Sexton of the 
said Church receive $20 per year, payable quarterly, and 
that no other compensation be made him, either from 
the collections or other funds of the Church for extra 
services rendered during inclement seasons." 

In the year 1847 a subscription list was circulated for 
"roofing and repairing the Church," and the subscribers 
were: 

The Gouverneur family 40 . 00 

Thos.B.Arden 5.00 

James Arden 1 . 00 

Mrs. DePeyster 5.00 

Richard D. Arden 5.00 

Mr. DePeyster 1.00 

Mr. Bross 1.00 

Mr. & Mrs. Moore 30.00 

Harry Mead 2.00 

Lias Mac Lane 3 . 00 

Uncle Justus Nelson 1 . 00 

William Hoffman 1.00 

Israel Horton 2.00 

A. Gouverneur 5.00 

John Hopper 1 . 00 

John Garrison 10.00 

and Mrs. Cornelius M. Nelson contributed the board of 
the carpenter. 

Between the years 1849-1851 services were held very 
irregularly owing to financial conditions, and not at all 
during the winter, "in view of the sparseness of the 
population." During this period a Mr. W. G. Hayne, 
"a gentleman who has recently taken up his residence 
in this vicinity," applied for leave to open and use the 
church for the purpose of holding a Sunday School. 



234 The History of St. Philip's Church 

The Vestry replied that if a Sunday School were held in 
the Church, it ought, in their judgment, to "be under the 
supervision of a Clergyman of the Church," and the 
application was declined. 

In 1854, Mr. Henry W. Belcher, a member of the 
Vestry, offered to give the Church three acres of land 
on which to build a Rectory, provided $2,000 were sub- 
scribed within two months. A committee was appointed 
to build the Rectory from plans drawn by Mr. Richard 
Upjohn, and in 1859 they reported its completion at a 
cost of $3,197.30. The list of subscriptions is not with- 
out historical interest. 



William Moore 


$500.00 


Frederick Philipse 


366.67 


S. M. W. Gouverneur 


250.00 


Miss Gouverneur 


250.00 


Chas. De Rham 


100.00 


Richard Upjohn 


336.67 


Dr. Nathaniel Moore 


100.00 


Henry W. Belcher 


233.34 


Special Fund per F. Philipse 


332.74 


Collected by T. B. Arden 


157.00 


Francis Livingston 


20.00 


Wm. S. Livingston 


20.00 


Jas. W. Dominick 


100.00 


Amos Sackett 


25.00 


Justus Sackett 


25.00 


William K. Belcher 


50.00 



The Rev. E. M. Pecke was the first occupant of the 
Rectory. 

During this period the parochial organization was 
somewhat imperfect, and the appointments of the 
church incomplete as witnessed by the following letter 



Parish of St Philip's in the Highlands 235 

addressed to the Vestry by the Rev. E. M. Pecke, priest 
in charge: 

Garrisons, N. Y., 
Monday in Easter Week, 1854. 
To the Wardens and Vestrymen of the 

Church of S. Philip's in the Highlands. 
Gentlemen, 

Being simply in temporary charge of this Parish 1 and 
consequently not presiding at your meetings, I take 
this method of bringing before you several matters in 
which I desire action. 

In the first place; By referring to Canon XV of the 
Diocese you will see ordered that "In every Parish 
of the Diocese provision shall be made for at least 
monthly Church offerings, by collection or otherwise, 
for Theological education, Diocesan Missions and 
other Church objects &c." I am not aware of any 
scheme of collections in this Parish, If there be none 
I would suggest the following: viz. — 
Thanksgiving Day Aged and Infirm Clergy 



Christmas 


Episcopal Fund 


Epiphany 


Foreign Missions 


Quinquagesima 


P. E. Tract Society 


Easter 


General Theological Seminary 


May 


Theological Education Fund 


Whitsunday 


Bible & Common Prayer Book 




Society 


July 


Missionary Committee of the 




Diocese 


August 


S. S. Union & Church Book 




Society 


September 


Parish Purposes 


October 


Parish Sunday School 


In the second place, By referring to Canon VII of 


the Diocese it will be 


seen that it is the duty of the 



1 Mr. Pecke was formally elected Rector a little later. 



236 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Vestry of each church to provide a book which shall 
be the Parish Register, and in which all the particu- 
lars of every infant and adult Baptism, Marriage, 
Burial & Confirmation, and an accurate list of all the 
Communicants shall be entered. The book which has 
been given to me as the Parish Register commenced 
by the previous incumbent is a simple blank book 
entirely unsuitable to the designed end, and the 
records in it are merely memoranda, deficient in 
names dates &c. I would suggest a speedy compli- 
ance with the Canon literally, by the purchase of a 
book made for the purpose, that the entries here- 
after may be accurate and correct. Such a book may 
be purchased at Stanford & Sword's Book-store, 637 
Broadway, New York. 

There are some things about the Church building 
which might and could be improved. For instance a 
bell is much needed. If the Vestry will authorize 
the erection of a bell-cote I will endeavor to procure 
a bell as a gift. The Church is without a Font. 
This ought not to be. It is almost useless to speak 
from the pulpit to the worldly and negligent of the 
importance of Christian Baptism when our practice 
shows that we do not deem it of sufficient impor- 
tance to provide the necessaries for its proper admin- 
istration even though the Church has ordered it. 

Again in regard to the Bible in use in the church. 
It has not the Apocrypha. We do not of course hold 
to the duty of reverencing alike the Apocryphal and 
Canonical Books of Scripture; but inasmuch as the 
Church has in her Calendar appointed portions of the 
Apocrypha to be read as Lessons at the time of public 
worship, it is clearly the duty of every Parish to pro- 
vide such a Bible as contains the Apocrypha. 

Again there cannot be a rubrical celebration of the 
Holy Communion in the present arrangement of 
Chancel furniture. There must be what is called a 



Parish of St. Philip's in the Highlands 237 

Credence table, that is, a table on which the elements 
remain until the time when the Rubric orders "The 
Priest shall then place upon the Table so much Bread 
and Wine as he shall think sufficient." The Clergy- 
have made a solemn vow that they will obey the Rub- 
rics and other laws of the Church. It is not right 
that they should be compelled to break such vows by 
the want of what the Parish should provide. More- 
over the present Communion table is so low and so 
small that it is very uncomfortable for any one, even 
the shortest person, to officiate at it. It is, too, so 
close to the rail that the Clergy cannot easily pass 
between. If the table were made larger, there would 
be no passage at all. 

Desirous of making the arrangement more proper 
and comfortable, I propose to remove the present pul- 
pit and desk; and of the material to make a larger and 
more convenient Communion table placed against the 
wall on a platform raised one step above the Chancel 
floor and a Credence table placed on one side. I 
would also put in a handsome Lectern from which the 
lessons could be read and sermons preached. This 
work I propose to do with my own hands and at my 
own expense, counting it an honor and a privilege to 
be allowed to labour for the Lord in the meanest 
occupation. I am satisfied that every one would con- 
sider the appearance of the church improved by the 
alteration, inasmuch as there would be apparently five 
feet added to the length of the church. The comfort 
to the Minister officiating would be very much greater 
than now; and to the people, it would be not a little, 
since at present to look at the preacher during sermon 
necessitates a very uncomfortable elevation of the 
eyes. I have examined the work carefully and 
have made calculations for every particular, so that 
I speak with knowledge when I say that it can be 
easily done, and at no greater expence than my own 



238 The History of St. Philip' s Church 

labour which will be most readily and Cheerfully 
given. A few days would finish the work when begun. 
I ask the action of the Vestry on these matters and 
remain 

Gentlemen 
Your very humble Minister 
and servant in Christ, 
E. M. Pecke 
April 17, 1854. 

This lengthy and logical letter is of more than ordinary 
interest and value. It affords a glimpse of the appear- 
ance of the old frame church in the middle of the nine- 
teenth century — a church without a baptismal font, an 
altar and a bell and with an old-fashioned lofty pulpit 
fronted with a desk and a low Communion table. These 
arrangements speak eloquently of the type of Church- 
manship prevailing in the eighteenth century, when the 
church was first built, and continuing for nearly a hundred 
years. 

Mr. Pecke's requests are significant of a changing 
spirit, and of a new order of Churchmanship. One of 
the results of the Oxford Movement in England was a 
revolution in church architecture and a re-arrangement 
of the interior of the older churches so as to make reverent 
worship possible, which was precisely the plea so force- 
fully urged for the alterations of St. Philip's. 

Such a change came in America as well as England, but 
it did not come without stress and conflict. It was 
hardly to be expected, therefore, that such radical 
alterations in the chancel arrangements in St. Philip's 
could be carried out as quickly as Mr. Pecke hoped. 
What the Vestry did was to remit the questions and pro- 
posals to the standing committee, which consisted of 



Parish of St. Philip's in the Highlands 239 

Frederick Philipse, John Garrison and Richard Upjohn. 
The committee reported on August 8th, and authorized 
the placing of a credence table, font, and made provision 
for a bell and a Parish register. They demurred to the 
canonical collections on the ground that "in small 
parishes like ours with a church requiring much repair, 
without a Rectory and affording but a small salary for 
their Rector & having moreover monthly celebrations 
of the Holy Communion & regular collections thereat it 
would seem that such collections would be held a suffi- 
cient compliance with the Canon." They were not 
willing to change the Bible nor to remove the pulpit and 
desk, though Mr. Upjohn dissented from the latter 
decision. 

The dawning of the year 1860 found the Parish peace- 
ful and prosperous. The initial difficulties of organiza- 
tion had been successfully overcome; the frequent 
changes of Clergy had ceased; and the Rector was 
housed in a valuable property owned by the Parish. 

Times were prosperous and the moment had come for a 
marked material and spiritual advance. With the 
opportunity came the man. The resignation of the 
Rev. Dr. Clap in 1860 made a vacancy in the rectorship 
which was filled by the calling of the Rev. Charles 
Frederick Hoffman, who entered into residence on May 
1st, 1860. The immediate task for the Rector was the 
erection of a new church. For ninety years St. Philip's 
Chapel had served the community, but with the advent 
of new families the plain pre-Revolutionary structure 
became unsuitable and inadequate. In 1855 it had 
been reported to the Diocesan Convention that "the 
Church is very much out of repair and very uncom- 



240 The History of St. Philip's Church 

fortable; a new one is greatly needed." 1 Two years 
later the Vestry considered plans and estimates for the 
alteration of the old Church, but in 1860 it was resolved 
to arise and build. 

The parish was fortunate in having upon the Vestry 
Richard Upjohn, "the Elder," the distinguished architect 
of Trinity Church in the city of New York, and who drew 
the plans for the new St. Philip's in the Highlands with- 
out fee or reward. At a Vestry meeting held on January 
8th, 1861, the plans and specifications were submitted. 
The estimated cost of the building was $9,350; or without 
the tower, $7,975. On the motion of Mr. William Moore, 
seconded by Judge John Garrison, it was resolved to un- 
dertake the erection of the church" provided subscriptions 
for the necessary sum can be obtained — and that the 
members of the Vestry shall in the meantime exert 
themselves to obtain subscriptions for the additional sum 
requisite to add the Tower on the original plan." The 
contractor was Sylvanus Ferris, and the building com- 
mittee consisted of the Rev. Charles Frederick Hoffman, 
William Moore and Henry W. Belcher; early in 1862 the 
name of the Hon. Hamilton Fish was added. 

There lies before the writer now the original list of 
subscribers. It contains the names of men, for the 
most part, long associated with the fortunes of the parish 
— William Moore, Nathaniel F. Moore, Charles de Rham, 
Richard D. Arden, Frederick Philipse, the Gouverneur 
Brothers, William and Francis Livingston, Henry W. 
Belcher and Thomas B. Arden; also the names of newer 
residents like William Henry Osborn. 

1 N. Y. Convention Journal, 1855. 



Parish of St. Philip's in the Highlands 241 

The following is a list of the subscriptions, all of which 
were conditional on the church being completed free of 
debt: 



William Moore i 


$2150.00 


Peter Brosse 


$10.00 


H. C. de Rham 


1250.00 


Miss Arden 


10.00 


Fredk Philipse ) 




Richard Hopper 


10.00 


S.M.W.Gouverneur ? 


1000.00 


John Hopper 


10.00 


Gouverneur ) 




Thos. H. Austin 


10.00 


Nathnl. F. Moore 


600.00 


James Hopper 


10.00 


Gov r Fish 


472.00 


T. A. von Kesners 


50.00 


Chas. de Rham 


250.00 


Margaret Wilson 


1.00 


Henry W. Belcher 


1000.00 


Mr & Mrs Acres 


5.00 


Wm. S. Livingston 


300.00 


G. Gifford 


5.00 


Francis S. Livingston 


250.00 


Saml Austin 


5.00 


Chas. de Rham 


250.00 


James Weller 


5.00 


Eugene Dutilh 


250.00 


W. M. Vail 


5.00 


L. L. Livingston 


120.00 


Jesse Austin 


3.00 


Susan M. Dutilh 


100.00 


Justice Austin. 


3.00 


J. A. Voiscin 


100.00 


Matthias Turner 


3.00 


Chas. Dutilh 


50.00 


Ann Wilson 


2.00 


J. A. Van Hancet 


50.00 


Nelson Devoe 


1.00 


Mr. Taylor 


50.00 


Hiram Van Tassel 


1.00 


W. H. Osborn 


250.00 


Thomas B. Brien 


1.00 


J. Sherwood 


100.00 


John Hopper jr 


1.00 


Mrs. C. F. Hoffman 


50.00 


Josiah Gilbert 


1.00 


Dr and Mrs. Hodges 


100.00 


Chas Turner 


1.00 


Thos. B. Arden 


50.00 


James H. Mead 


1.00 


Rev. C. F. Hoffman 


33.33 


Fanny Wilson 


1.00 


Wm. H. Denning 


100.00 


Benj. Wilson 


1.00 


Rich. Arden 


100.00 


Chas. Wilson 


1.00 


Miss de Rham 


25.00 


Richard Hayes 


1.00 


Mrs. Laight 


100.00 


Thomas Hayes 


1.00 


Mr Cromwell 


25.00 


Robt. Powell 


3.00 


G. F. & W. D. Garrison 10 . 00 


M. Shelley 


.25 


Danl Hopper 


10.00 







242 The History of St. Philip's Church 

In addition to these gifts of money John Garrison con- 
tributed one hundred dollars in "sand and teaming," 
and George Garrison "dockage" to the value of twenty- 
five dollars, Benjamin Devoe gave six and George Booth 
five dollars in labor. The offering at the laying of the 
corner-stone was $19.25, and at the consecration of the 
church $43.72. Mrs. Upjohn presented a window; Dr. 
and Mrs. Hodges a musical instrument and the Rector 
and his friends the Chancel furniture. The extra money 
for the erection of the tower was secured largely through 
the efforts of Mr. Belcher. After the consecration of the 
church additional donations were contributed as follows : 

Wm. Moore $500 . 00 Henry W. Belcher $100 . 00 

H. C. de Rham 500.00 Dr. N. F. Moore 100.00 

The Gouverneurs 250.00 W.S.Livingston 50.00 

Hamilton Fish 200 . 00 Geo. Arden 25 . 00 

The new church occupied the site of the old chapel, 
and the latter building was removed a little to the north 
at a cost of sixty dollars, and temporarily used for ser- 
vices. It was also found necessary to transfer several 
bodies to make way for the larger building, and this was 
reverently accomplished under the direction of the Vestry. 

On the 1st day of May, 1861, being the Feast of St. 
Philip and St. James, the corner stone of the new edifice 
was laid, with appropriate ceremony, by Bishop Horatio 
Potter, who reports to the Diocesan Convention: 

In St. Philips in the Highlands I preached, con- 
firmed 16 and addressed them, having previous to the 
A. M. service laid the corner stone of a new edifice to 
be erected for S. Philip's. 1 

1 N. Y. Convention Journal, 1861. 



Parish of St. Philip's in the Highlands 243 

Exactly one year later, on Thursday, May 1st, 1862, 
the new Church of St. Philip's in the Highlands was 
solemnly consecrated to the service and worship of 
Almighty God by the Bishop of New York. Six per- 
sons were confirmed on that historic occasion, and the 
sermon was preached by the Very Reverend Eugene 
A. Hoffman, sometime Dean of the General Theological 
Seminary. 

The following "Instrument of Donation" was adopted 
by the Vestry and presented to the Bishop : 

We, the Rector, Church Wardens and Vestrymen 
of S. Philips Church in the Highlands, in Philipstown, 
County of Putnam, State of New York, having by the 
good Providence of God erected in the said town a 
house of public worship, do hereby appropriate and 
devote the same to the worship and service of God, 
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, according 
to the provisions of the Protestant Episcopal Church 
of the United States of America, in its Ministry, 
Doctrines, Liturgy, Rites and Usages, and by a con- 
gregation in communion with said Church, and in 
union with the Convention hereof in the Diocese of 
New York. 

And we do also hereby request the Right Reverend 
Horatio Potter, D.D., D.C.L., Oxon. Bishop of the 
said Diocese, to take the said Building under his spir- 
itual jurisdiction as Bishop aforesaid, and that of his 
successors in office, and to Consecrate the same by the 
name of S. Philip's Church in the Highlands, and 
thereby separate it from all unhallowed, worldly and 
common uses, and solemnly dedicate it to the holy 
purposes above mentioned. 

And we do moreover hereby relinquish all claim to 
any right of disposing of said building or allowing of 
the use of it in any way inconsistent with the terms 



244 The History of St. Philip's Church 

and true meaning of this Instrument of Donation, and 
with the Consecration hereby requested of the Bishop 
of the Diocese. 

In testimony whereof, we the said Rector, Church- 
Wardens and Vestrymen have caused this Instrument 
of Donation to have attached to it the Seal of our 
Corporation, and the signatures of the Presiding 
Officer and Clerk of a meeting duly convened on this 
the first day of May, in the year of our Lord, one 
thousand, eight hundred and sixty-two, being the 
Feast of S. Philip and S. James. 

Chas. Fredk Hoffman, 

Rector Presiding. 

Frederick Philipse, 

Clerk of the Vestry. 

The certificate of consecration which hangs in the 
vestry of the church reads as follows: 

IN THE NAME OF GOD, AMEN. 

Whereas the Church- Wardens and Vestrymen of 
the Parish of Saint Philip's Church in the Highlands, 
Philipstown, in the County of Putnam, State of New 
York, have, by an Instrument this day presented to 
me, appropriated and devoted a house of public wor- 
ship erected by them in the said Philipstown to the 
worship and service of Almighty God, the Father, 
the Son and the Holy Ghost according to the provisions 
of the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United 
States of America, in Ministry, Doctrines, Liturgy, 
Rites and Usages; and by a congregation in union 
with said Church, and in union with the Convention 
thereof in the Diocese of New York; 

And Whereas the said Rector, Church- Wardens 
and Vestrymen have, by the same Instrument, re- 
quested me to take this said house of worship under 
my spiritual jurisdiction as Bishop of the Diocese of 




Bishop of New York, 1854-18.57 



Parish of St. Philip's in the Highlands 245 

New York, and that of my successors in office, and 
consecrate it by the name of 

SAINT PHILIP'S IN THE HIGHLANDS 
and hereby separate it from all unhallowed, worldly 
and common uses, and solemnly dedicate it to the holy 
purposes above mentioned. 

NOW THEREFORE, know all men by these 
Presents, that I, HORATIO POTTER, D.D., by 
Divine permission Bishop of the Diocese of New 
York, acting under the protection of ALMIGHTY 
GOD, have on this first day of May, being the FEAST 
OF S. PHILIP AND S. JAMES, in the year of our 
LORD one thousand eight hundred and sixty-two, 
taken the above mentioned house of worship under 
my spiritual jurisdiction as BISHOP aforesaid, and 
that of my successors in office; and in presence of 
divers of the Clergy, and a public congregation therein 
assembled, and according to the form prescribed by 
the Protestant Episcopal Church in the United States 
of America, have CONSECRATED the same by the 
name of SAINT PHILIP'S CHURCH IN THE 
HIGHLANDS. 

AND I DO HEREBY pronounce and declare that 
the said SAINT PHILIP'S CHURCH IN THE 
HIGHLANDS is CONSECRATED accordingly, and 
thereby separated thenceforth from all unhallowed, 
worldly and common uses, and DEDICATED to 
the worship of ALMIGHTY GOD, the FATHER, 
the SON and the HOLY GHOST, for reading and 
preaching His Holy Word, for celebrating His Holy 
Sacraments, for offering to His Glorious Majesty the 
Sacrifices of Prayer, Praise and Thanksgiving, for 
blessing His people in His name and for the perfor- 
mance of all other Holy Offices, agreeably to the 
terms of the Covenant of Grace and Salvation in our 
LORD and SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST, and accord- 



246 The History of St. Philip's Church 

ing to the provisions of the Protestant Episcopal 
Church in the United States of America, in its 
Ministry, Doctrines, Rites and Usages. 

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto 
affixed my Seal and Signature in PHILIPSTOWN on 
the day and in the year above written, and in the 
eighth year of my consecration. 

Horatio Potter, 

Bishop of New York. 

The frame building used as the former church was 
removed to Highland (now Manitou), and re-erected as 
the Chapel of St. James, the corner-stone being laid on 
the Feast of St. Philip and St. James, May 1st, 1863. 
In 1868 Mrs. Henry W. Belcher presented to the church 
a bell, which was duly hung in the tower. It bears the 
inscription : 

Oh, ye Bells of the Lord, 

Bless ye the Lord. 

Praise Him and magnify Him for Ever. 

The years from 1862 until the present have witnessed 
steady spiritual growth and material enrichment. With 
the new church the parish entered upon a new era. In 
1864 much care and money were expended upon laying 
out the grounds of the church under the direction of S. 
M. Warburton Gouverneur, and two years later the 
school-house was finally removed from the church 
property. 

The centenary of the church was celebrated in 1871. 
"On September 21st we celebrated the Centenary of our 
existence." 1 The sermon was preached by Mr. Hoffman 
and was published by the request of the Vestry. 

1 N. Y. Convention Journal, 1871. 




INTERIOR OF ST. PHILIPS CHURCH IN THE HIGHLANDS 



Parish of St. Philip's in the Highlands 247 

In 1875 extensive repairs to the rectory were carried 
out at a cost of over $8,000, of which the Rector, the 
Rev. A. Z. Gray, contributed one fourth. 

Eight years later the late Mr. Hamilton Fish built the 
handsome and substantial stone wall around the church 
grounds as a thank offering for the preservation of his 
wife in a serious accident. The following year the 
church was re-decorated at a cost of $1,200. 

In 1895 the late John M. and Mrs. Toucey presented 
to the church a two-manual organ, which bears this 
inscription: 

Erected to the Glory of God 

and in filial devotion to the memory of 

Harriet Toucey and Emeline Butler-Atwater. 

The gift of John M. and Mary Butler Toucey. 

At the same time they provided an Endowment of 
$5,000 for its maintenance. Advantage was taken of the 
necessary alterations to lay a Mosaic floor in the nave 
and transepts, which was carried out under the direction 
of the late Mr. Samuel Sloan. In the year 1903 the 
sum of $7,585 was raised by subscription as an addition 
to the Endowment fund of the parish. 

For very many years the parish was without a suitable 
building for Sunday School and other parochial pur- 
poses. In 1890 a committee of the Vestry was appointed 
to consider the question of accommodation for the Sun- 
day School, but the response was not deemed sufficient 
to justify further steps. Matters so remained until 1895, 
when a parish house was erected by the late Mrs. J. M. 
Toucey, and her son, Donald Toucey, as a memorial to 
her husband who was for several years a member of the 
Vestry and treasurer of the parish. 



248 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Home missionary work has always filled a large place 
in the history of the parish. As early as 1835 services 
were conducted in Cold Spring by the Rev. Charles 
Luck and continued by the Revs. Henry L. Storrs, 
Ebenezer Williams and Robert Shaw. They resulted in 
the building of St. Mary's in the Highlands, and the for- 
mation of an independent parish. The Rev. Charles 
Frederick Hoffman reports to the Diocesan Convention 
of 1860: 

Mission services have been held since August at a 
settlement two or three miles south of this parish, 
and a Sunday School has been organized. Services 
are held there every Sunday by myself, between the 
two regular services held in the parish Church, and the 
children are catechised every Sunday. The room in 
which we worship was lent to us by the owner, and 
has been fitted up for a Chapel, with an appropriate 
altar, font, lectern platform, temporary vestry-room, 
and a Sunday School Library. 1 

This interesting report marks the beginnings of the 
mission work carried on at Highlands (now Manitou) 
unbrokenly by the parish for nearly fifty years. When 
the old church was pulled down, the Vestry placed the 
materials at the disposal of the Rector, who rebuilt it at 
Manitou. The land was given by Mr. W. H. Denning of 
Fishkill. It was appropriately called St. James' Chapel. 
In 1868 a bell was hung in the tower, and in 1870 Mr. 
Hoffman chronicles the gift of a "massive altar, and a 
silver Chalice and Patten." 2 In inlaid wood there ap- 
pears upon the center of the altar a pierced heart, and on 

1 New York Convention Journal, 1860. 

2 New York Convention Journal, 1870. 



Parish of St Philip's in the Highlands 249 

the corners the nail-pierced hands and feet of the 
Saviour. The first Celebration of the Holy Communion 
at the chapel was on the Sunday after Easter, 1870. 

The Rev. Albert Zabriskie Gray faithfully maintained 
and extended the missionary work of the parish. In 
addition to officiating at St. Philip's and St. James' 
Chapel, he carried on services at the Chemical Works 
on the border of Westchester County. 

Mr. Gray then turned his attention to a spiritually 
destitute locality in the southeastern portion of the 
parish and established a Sunday School and held regular 
services in a small school-house. The people so readily 
responded to his efforts that the building of a Mission 
Chapel was projected. Land for this purpose was deeded 
by the late Erastus Mowatt, and in 1878 or 1879 the 
Chapel of St. John's in the Wilderness was erected. The 
cost was met by the contributions of sympathetic church 
people in the parish, aided by a few friends in New 
York. At the visitation of the Bishop in 1880 seven can- 
didates from St. John's were presented for Confirmation. 

In 1908 the construction of the New York City Aque- 
duct brought into an outlying part of the parish a large 
number of workmen, mainly Italians and negroes, for 
whose religious welfare no provision had been made. 
The Rector, the Rev. E. Clowes Chorley, held weekly 
services for the men in a saloon — the only available place. 
By the voluntary gifts of a few friends of the parish, 
St. Philip's Hall was erected. It was dedicated on 
October 9th, 1908, at a service conducted by the Rev. 
Frederick Van Kleeck, D.D., Archdeacon of West- 
chester, and is opened during the week as a club room 
for the men. 



250 The History of St. Philip's Church 

The latest addition to the property of the parish is a 
new rectory. With the lapse of time the frame building 
which was the home of the rectors for fifty-four years 
became unsuitable for the purpose. Knowing this, the 
widow and children of the late Samuel Sloan, for many 
years a Vestryman and Warden of the parish, expressed 
their desire to build a new rectory in memory of Mr. 
Sloan. At the service held on Christmas Day, 1910 — 
Mr. Sloan's birthday — the Rector read the following 
letter written by Mrs. Sloan in her ninetieth year. 

7 East 38th St., New York. 

December 22, 1910. 
My Dear Mr. Chorley: — 

I and my children desire to do something for the 
church we have attended so long and have cherished 
with so much affection and have chosen as our resting 
place, and suggest building a new rectory on a new site 
in the church grounds. We all unite together, includ- 
ing my daughter Margaret's children and my son 
William's children, all feeling the most tender affec- 
tion and interest in adding to the comfort of the 
neighborhood, and we do this as a memorial to the 
father and grandfather knowing his interest in its 
welfare. We hope it will be a gratification to our 
associates with whom we have lived so long. Hoping 
our dear Mr. Chorley may have the benefit with 
warm affection. 

I speak for the family as mother and grandmother. 
I cheerfully approve all this subject to the approval 
of the Vestry of St, Philip's Church. 

Yours very sincerely, 

Margaret E. Sloan. 

At a meeting of the Vestry, held in New York, Decem- 
ber 30th, 1910, the following resolutions were passed: 




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Parish of St. Philip's in the Highlands 251 

The Rector having reported the receipt of a letter 
under the date of Dec. 22, 1910, from Mrs. Sloan, 
expressing the desire on the part of herself and family 
to build a rectory on a new site in the church grounds 
as a memorial to her late husband, the Hon. Samuel 
Sloan, be it resolved: 

1st, that the Vestry, in meeting assembled, expresses 
its heartfelt thanks to Mrs. Sloan and family for her 
most generous offer, and gratefully accepts the gift 
as a memorial to one who, in his long association as 
Vestryman and Warden, gained the affection and es- 
teem of all the members of the parish. 

2nd, that a committee of the Vestry be appointed 
to confer with Mrs. Sloan's representatives as to the 
carrying out of the proposal. 

(Signed) E. Clowes Chorley, rector. 
Wm. M. Benjamin, Clerk. 

Messrs. Charles de Rham, Stuyvesant Fish, Wm. M. 
Benjamin and the Rector were appointed on the com- 
mittee. 

The site selected was in front of the old building and at 
8.30 a.m., on Wednesday, March 29th, 1911, the corner 
stone was laid by the Rector in the name of the Father, 
the Son and the Holy Ghost. By an undesigned but 
happy coincidence the completed building was handed 
over on the anniversary of Mr. Sloan's death, Sep- 
tember 22nd. 

On the porch of the house a bronze tablet has been 
fixed having this inscription : 

In Memory of 

SAMUEL SLOAN 

Dec. xxv, MDCCCXVII— Sept. xxii, MCMVII 

Erected By His Family 

A.D.MCMXI 



252 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

In the Rector's study there has been placed a chair and 
a desk made out of the beams of the old Glebe farm house, 
and on the terrace there stands a sun dial the stone of 
which comes from the Glebe and from the quarry which 
supplied the stone for the Cathedral of St. John the 
Divine, New York. It is thus inscribed: 



GLEBE. 


RECTORY. 


1770. 


1911. 


John Doty 


E. C. Chorley 


Rector. 


Rector. 



MEMORIALS AND BENEFACTIONS. 

The interior of the church is enriched by many beauti- 
ful memorials perpetuating the memory of those who 
loved and served the parish. The following is a list of 
such memorials and benefactions so far as they can now 
be ascertained: 

1770 . One acre of land for church and grounds given 
by Colonel Beverly Robinson, to which was 
added about 1790 another acre of land by 
William Denning. 

1772 . Farm of two hundred acres to St. Peter's and 
St. Philip's; the gift of Colonel Beverly 
Robinson. 

1840 . Legacy of the late Mrs. Mary Allen— $913.36. 

1853 . Three acres of land for rectory purposes by 
Henry W. Belcher. 

1862. The font by Mrs. William Moore. 

The sanctuary furniture presented by the 
Rev. Charles Frederick Hoffman and friends. 



Parish of St Philip's in the Highlands 253 

1868. The church bell by Mrs. Henry W. Belcher. 

1873 . Additional land for the churchyard by Fred- 
erick Philipse. 

1877. The altar cross — "In Memoriam : Helen 
Arden." 

1883. Legacy of $500 by Mrs. Richard Upjohn. 
The income to be paid to the Rector for mis- 
sionary work within the parish. 

1883 . Boundary wall of the churchyard by the Hon. 
Hamilton Fish, LL.D. 

Three sets of altar and pulpit hangings by 
the Rev. Walter Thompson, S. T. D. 

1892. Candelabra— "To the Glory of God and in 
memory of Emma Louise Garrison. Entered 
into Eternal Life, June 29th, 1891." 
Lectern Bible — In Memoriam Eliza King 
Belcher. 

1894. The white altar and pulpit hangings, altar 
rail and service books. "To the Glory of God 
and in dear memory of Hamilton and Julia 
Kean Fish by their children." 

1895 . The organ and endowment of $5,000. "Erect- 
ed to the Glory of God, and in filial devotion 
to the memory of Harriet Toucey and Erne- 
line Butler- Atwater." The gift of John M. 
and Mary Butler Toucey. 

1898. Silver alms bason. "In Memory of Edward 
Pierrepont. Born 1859. Died 1885. Given 
by his mother." 

1898. Silver alms plates. "In Memory of Julia 
Antoinette de Rham. Born 1820. Died 
1894, and Henry Casimir de Rham. Born 
1785. Died 1878." 



254 The History of St. Philip's Church 

1901 . The parish house. "In Loving Memory of 
John M. Toucey this Parish House is given 
by his wife and son to S. Philip's Church in 
the Highlands. 1901." 

1907. Additional land for the churchyard given by 
the Misses Philipse. 

1909. Silver Communion service. "In Memory of 
Laura Frederica de Rham, 1899 and Laura 
de Rham, 1906." The gift of Mr. and Mrs. 
Charles de Rham. 

1910 . White stone altar. "To the Glory of God and 
Sacred to the memory of Virginia Read 
Sturges Osborn, 1830-1902." The gift of 
Mrs. H. Fairfield Osborn. 

1910. Six Thousand dollars as an endowment for 
St. James' Chapel to be known as "The 
Charles de Rham Memorial Fund." The 
gift of Charles and Henry Casimir de Rham. 

1910. Peal of bells given by William Massena, 
Hamilton Fish and Julian Arnold Benjamin. 
"In Loving Memory of their mother, Julia 
Kean Benjamin." 

1911. Rectory — Memorial of the Hon. Samuel 
Sloan, the gift of his widow and children. 

MONUMENTAL BRASSES. 

In Memory of 

Edwards Pierrepont, LL.D., D.C.L. Oxon., 

Attorney General of the United States. 

Minister to the Court of S. James. 

A Learned Jurist. 

A Patriotic Citizen. 

A Humble Follower of Christ. 

His Life was Noble. 

His Memory is Revered. 

1813-1892. 




VIRGINIA STURGES OSBORN MEMORIAL ALTAR 
1910 



Parish of St Philip's in the Highlands %55 

In Memory of 

Hamilton Fish, LL.D. 

Governor: U. S. Senator: U. S. Secretary of State. 

A Revered Citizen: An Eminent Statesman. 

A Devout Christian. 

He adorned every position to which he 

was called. 

For Thirty Years Warden and Vestryman 

of This Parish. 

Born in New York. Died at Garrison. 



To the Glory 
And in Loving 
Julia 
1816 
The Path of the Just 



of God 
Memory of 
Kean Fish 
1887. 
s as The Shining Light 



Which Shineth More and More Unto The Perfect Day. 
This Tablet is Erected by Parishioners of S. Philip's 
Church in the Highlands to Commemorate the Life of 
One Who Walked with God. 

MEMORIAL WINDOWS. 

The three memorial windows in the chancel are the 
gift of the Misses Philipse 

To the Memory of 

The Gouverneur and Philipse Families 

Adolphus Nathaniel Gouverneur 

Samuel M. Warburton Gouverneur 

Frederick Philipse 

Margaret Philipse Moore 

Mary Marston Gouverneur. 

In the northern transept the two-light window is 

To the Memory of 
L. A. De Peyster. 



256 The History of St. Philip's Church 

and the window by the organ is 

To the Memory of 

Hamilton Fish Rogers 

Born March 16th, 1879. Died April 21st, 1885. 

and 

Violet Mabel Rogers 

Born March 7th 1883. Died January 31st, 1885. 

In the west end of the church the window enshrines the 
memory of 

Edwin and Emma, 
Infant children of R. and E. Upjohn. 

In the nave 

Mary Perkins Thompson 
Born March 16th, 1879, 
Died April 21st, 1885. 

Edith Northcote, 
December 18th, 1887. 

Elizabeth Stuyvesant d'Hauteville, 
Born March 11th, 1839, 
Died March 1st, 1864. 

Virginia Sturges Osborn, 

Aged 20. May 1875 

and 

Frederick Sturges Osborn 

Aged 16. July 1875. 




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CHAPTER IX. 

ST. PHILIP'S IN THE HIGHLANDS. 
THE RECTORS. 

1840-1911. 

DURING the later years of the united Parish it 
became impossible to secure adequate attend- 
ance at the meetings of the Vestry, and Mr. 
Frederick Philipse notes that "S. Philip's Church was 
supported chiefly by the voluntary contributions and 
attention of a few of the Vestry from Philipstown, near 
the Church, without official meetings." 

From 1836 till 1840 a separate clergyman ministered 
at St. Philip's, the first being the Rev. F. Peake, who 
came in June, 1836. Mr. Peake formed a congregation 
at Cold Spring, but after two months' service he was 
recalled by the Bishop of Missouri. His remuneration, 
paid by Mr. Samuel Gouverneur, was one hundred dol- 
lars. 

Rev. Henry Lemuel Storrs, M. A., was engaged on 
October 1st, 1836, in the same informal manner, until 
April 1st, 1837, at a stipend of $500 per annum, and was 
re-engaged on the latter date. During his ministry St. 
Philip's was consecrated by Bishop Onderdonk, and Mr. 
Storrs was ordained Priest at the same service. 

Mr. Storrs was the eldest son of the Hon. Henry 
Randolph Storrs, a distinguished member of the New 
York Bar and of the Legislature. He was born on July 



258 The History of St. Philip's Church 

1st, 1811, at Whites Town, in the County of Oneida, and 
attended Hamilton and Union Colleges, graduating from 
the latter. During a residence in Utica, he came under 
the influence of the Rev. Dr. Henry Anthon, and under 
his direction, became a communicant of the Church, and 
a candidate for the ministry. On the completion of his 
course at the General Theological Seminary, he was ad- 
mitted to Holy Orders, and his first charge was St. 
Philip's. Here he married Elizabeth, eldest daughter of 
Leonard Kip of New York; she was confirmed in St. 
Philip's Church in 1837. 

After serving Garrison for about two years he officiated 
for a little while at Yonkers, and then accepted the rec- 
torship of St. Stephen's, New Hartford. Three years 
later he became Rector of St. John's Church, Yonkers, 
and there remained for eleven years. 

The Protestant Churchman said of Mr. Storrs' work 
at St. John's, "the strength of the parish was doubled; 
the communicants had largely increased in number; 
jarring opinions and feelings were harmonized through 
the discreet and faithful assiduity of the rector; in 
his vineyard, he realized all that a servant of God could 
have a right to seek for himself, of pastoral peace and 
pleasantness." 

He died on Sunday, May 16th, 1852, and is buried in 
the parochial cemetery at Yonkers. A tablet to his 
memory is on the walls of St. John's Church. 

The Rev. Edward C. Bull of Massachusetts was 
called "for S. Philips and S. Mary's, Cold Spring" on 
June 1st, 1838, and remained for one year. In 1841 
he officiated at Brookfield, Connecticut, and from 1847 
to 1859 he was Rector of Christ Church, Rye. During 




Rector, 183" 



Rectors of St. Philip's in the Highlands 259 

his rectorship of the latter parish the old wooden church 
built in 1788 was replaced by a stone building which was 
consecrated on March 15th, 1855, by Bishop Wainwright. 



Mr. Bull was succeeded by the Rev. Ebenezer Williams, 
who was ordained Priest in St. Philip's Church by Bishop 
Onderdonk, and had served as missionary at Hoosick 
Falls, and as chaplain at Sing Sing Prison before coming 
into the Highlands. When the parish was incorporated 
he was, on July 21st, 1840, called as "officiating clergy- 
man" for one year at a salary of $375 per annum, the 
Vestry expressly stipulating that it would not be respon- 
sible for any further sum on account of his services at 
Cold Spring. 

In 1843 Mr. Williams was elected first Rector of the 
Parish in accordance with the following Minute: 

Resolved — That we Harry Garrison, Senior War- 
den, John Garrison, Richd D. Arden, Peter Bross, 
George Haight, Thos. B. Arden, Vestry men, do appoint 
the Rev. Ebenezer Williams to the Rectorship of the 
Parish of S. Philips. 

He was "duly introduced into the Church of S. Philips 
by Harry Garrison Esq. Senior Warden, and the key of 
the said Church placed in his possession." Compensa- 
tion was fixed at $375 per annum, payable quarterly, 
"until the officers of the Church may order otherwise." 
It was intimated that when a parsonage was provided, 
"a corresponding deduction would be made from the 



260 The History of St. Philip's Church 

salary of the Minister of the parish." Mr. Williams 
lived at Brook Cottage and to eke out the scanty stipend 
his wife kept a select school. This rectorship was marked 
by the only serious dissension that has ever arisen in the 
history of the parish. Bishop Onderdonk acted as peace- 
maker, and on June 30th, 1843, Mr. Williams resigned. 

Whilst rector of St. Philip's Mr. Williams suffered 
the loss of his wife and she is buried in the churchyard. 
After leaving Garrison he volunteered for missionary ser- 
vice in the Far West. At that time the West and the 
greater part of the South were divided into two immense 
missionary districts, and Bishop Jackson Kemper had 
charge of the former. His territory included the states 
of Wisconsin, Indiana and Missouri, and also the lands 
out of which were subsequently erected Minnesota, Iowa, 
Nebraska and Kansas. 1 Mr. Williams was appointed 
to Racine, Wisconsin. There was no church building, 
and the people were too poor to build one. The rector 
was sent to England to gather funds. After building the 
church he was transferred to Mineral Point, where he 
erected another church. His last parish was Montford, 
where he labored until 1870, when he retired from the 
active ministry. The closing years of his life were spent 
in the home of his son at Ogden, Iowa, where he died on 
December 10th, 1878, in the seventy-seventh year of his 
age. He was buried in the Glenwood Cemetery. 

In August of 1843 "the Rev. Robert Shaw, having offi- 
ciated in the Church on Sunday, the 13th instant, at the 
invitation of the Wardens and Vestry, it was resolved 
that the Clerk of the Vestry tender a call to Mr. Shaw 

1 History of the Diocese of Minnesota by the Rev. Dr. Tanner, p. 1. 





c^c^q^> 



/ 



/ 




Rector, 1830-1843 



Rectors of St. Philip's in the Highlands 261 

to the said Church until the first of May next with a sal- 
ary at the rate of $300 per annum." 1 Mr. Shaw "con- 
cluded to accept" the call. For several years he had been 
a Presbyterian minister, and in 1832 was ordained Priest 
by Bishop Onderdonk in St. Mark's Church, Hunt's 
Hollow. In 1846, "in view of the low state of the funds 
of this Church" the Vestry regretted their inability "to 
increase the salary beyond the amount of $250 dollars 
per annum," and at the same time they requested "that 
he report to them the present condition of the Sunday 
School." 



^^^fe^^^ 



The arrangement by which the Minister divided his 
time between Garrison and Cold Spring was conducive 
to a rivalry, which was accentuated in 1846 by Mr. 
Shaw's removal of his residence to the latter place. The 
Vestry thereupon requested him "to furnish his weekly 
selection of Psalms and Hymns, for each succeeding 
Sunday's service, to the Clerk of this Church — if possible 
on the previous Sunday — or else, by the Thursday even- 
ing preceding through the Cold Spring Post Office." In 
1847 a curt resolution that "the attention of the Rev. 
Robert Shaw be called to his parochial duties" was only 
lost by a small majority, but the Standing Committee 
was empowered "to confer with Mr. Shaw as they may 

1 The other part of the stipend was provided by St. Mary's, Cold 
Spring. 



262 The History of St. Philip's Church 

think proper in regard to the general interests of the 
Church in the parish." Mr. Shaw's reply was as follows: 

Dear Sir, 

In reply to the resolution of the Vestry of St. Philips 
in the Highlands — which you delivered to me on the 
26th inst, I have only to say, that I am not aware of 
any neglect of the parochial duties of the parish. 
You, as well as other members of the Vestry, are 
aware, I presume, that a clergyman has various duties 
to perform, and that he may justly be supposed to 
know how these are to be proportioned. When your 
Vestry can offer such remuneration as will justify an 
increased expenditure on my part in the discharge of 
the duties of the parish I am ready to do it. 

My endeavours to secure the attendance of children 
at Sunday School have been ineffectual, therefore, 
that the Vestry may know how such instruction is 
valued, and that I am ready to perform my duty that 
appertains to my office, I will catechise the children 
of the parish openly in the Church, according to the 
directions of the same. 

Respectfully yours, 
P. Philips Esq, RT. SHAW. 

April 29th, 1848. 

In 1850 the parish found itself in serious financial diffi- 
culties. The purchaser of the glebe farm refused to 
pay the interest on the mortgage, and considerable 
arrears of salary were due Mr. Shaw. The Vestry 
therefore deemed it "to be their painful duty to close 
the church until this present difficulty be adjusted/' 
This terminated Mr. Shaw's association with St. Phil- 
ip's, but he continued for several years to minister at 
Cold Spring, and eventually removed to Canada, where 
he died. 



Rectors of St. Philip's in the Highlands 263 

The church was closed for two years, and in 1852 the 
Rev. David E. Barr was called as "officiating minister at 
$400 per annum," terminable by three months' notice 
on either side. The name of David Eglington Barr first 
appears in the records of the Diocese of New York in the 
year 1851, when he became Rector of Grace Church, 
South Oyster Bay (now Massapequa), Long Island, 
from which parish he came to the Highlands. His brief 
ministry at St. Philip's was not free from difficulties, and 
on August 16th, 1853, he entered upon his duties as 
missionary at Butternuts, Otsego County. 



£y*'#Tj* / £' efflL* 



'iZst^ m 



When Mr. Barr left the parish the Vestry appealed to 
Bishop Wainwright to provide a clergyman, and in 
1854 the Rev. Edward M. Pecke was "called to the 
charge of the Church and Parish as its officiating min- 
ister for the period of six months," and in June of that 
year was formally chosen Rector. His yearly salary 
was fixed at $500. Mr. Peck was the first occupant of 
the rectory. 

On August 3rd, 1857, the following letter was addressed 
to the Wardens and Vestry: 

Gentlemen, 

The salary paid to the Rector by this parish being 
utterly inadequate to the support of myself and fam- 
ily, I am compelled to resign the charge of it, to enter 
upon another field of labor where I have the promise 
of support. 



264 The History of St. Philip's Church 

You will therefore please accept my resignation as 
Rector to take effect one month from the date of this 
communication. 

Very truly yours, 

E. M. PECKE. 

Edward Mills Pecke, M. A., was received as a candidate 
for Holy Orders in the Diocese of New York on July 11th, 
1850. He graduated from the General Theological 
Seminary three years later, and after his ordination acted 
as secretary to the Provisional Bishop of New York. * St. 
Philip's was his first pastoral charge. In September, 
1857, he removed to the Diocese of New Jersey, where he 
became assistant minister of St. Paul's and missionary 
at St. Mark's, Newark. He also served as principal of 
the parochial school. Mr. Pecke was a gifted musician 
and an acknowledged authority on ritual. Long before 
the days when choral services were commenced in the 
American Church he published a volume entitled, The 
Psalter Noted, by the Rev. Thomas Helmore, M. A., 
carefully compared and made to agree with the Psalter 
of the Standard Prayer Book of the Church in the 
United States of America, by the Rev. Edward M. 
Pecke, M. A. 2 He labored in many fields. In 1861 
he was transferred to the diocese of Massachusetts 
and became rector of St. Stephen's, Pittsfield. Some of 
his subsequent parishes were St. Mark's, Mauch Chunk, 
Pennsylvania (1861); Christ Church, Riverdale, New 
York (1866); St. Peter's, Cheshire, Connecticut (1868); 
and St. Luke's, Richfield Springs (1873). During his 

1 Bishop Wainwright. 

2 Recent Recollections of the Anglo-American Church in the 
United States by an English Layman. Vol. I, p. 130 ff. 




(?JL £^L- 



Rector, 1854-18.57 



Rectors of St. Philip's in the Highlands 265 

ministry in the diocese of Albany he served as Arch- 
deacon of the Susquehanna. The closing years of his life 
were spent as an inmate of the "Priory Farm," Verbank, 
Dutchess County, where he died on the 15th of February, 
1898, in the seventieth year of his age. 

In September, 1857, a call was accepted by the Rev. 
Joel Clap, D. D., who was affectionately known in the 
parish as "Daddy Clap." He was instituted into the 
rectorship on July 14th, 1858, by Bishop Horatio Potter. 
Dr. Clap resigned on January 2nd, 1860, to become Chap- 
lain of the Church Charity Foundation, Brooklyn. 

Dr. Clap was a very remarkable man. He was a great 
missionary, and his name is writ large on the annals of the 
Church in Vermont. Although he did not come to 
Garrison until 1857 his birth carries us back to the time 
when Vermont was covered with virgin forests. In 1789 
the town of Montgomery, Vermont, received its charter, 
and thither in 1793 came from Massachusetts Captain 
Joshua Clap, a soldier of the Revolution. There, on the 
14th of September, Joel was born. He was brought up 
amid all the hardships of pioneer life. 1 In the fall of 
1809, at the age of seventeen, he entered the University 
of Vermont, but the sudden death of his father, the fol- 
lowing year, cut short his college career. He turned to 
the study of law in the office of the Hon. Stephen Royce, 
ex-Chief Justice and Governor of the State, and was ad- 
mitted to the Bar at St. Albans in 1815. Entering into 
practice at Sheldon he engaged as a lay reader in the 
neighborhood, and finally decided to enter the ministry. 

1 These particulars are taken from a paper on The Life of the Rev. 
Joel Clap, D.D., read before the Vermont Historical Society at Burling- 
ton on January 23d, 1862, by the Rev. Dr. Hicks. 



266 The History of St. Philip's Church 

He was ordered Deacon by Alexander Viets Griswold, 
Bishop of the Eastern Diocese, 1 at Greenfield, Massa- 
chusetts, on October 2nd, 1818, and was advanced to the 
priesthood by the same Bishop on the 17th of September, 
1819, at Windsor, Vermont. 2 He began his ministerial 
work in his native town and for more than forty years 
labored incessantly in the State. On October 17th, 1819, 
he was instituted by Bishop Griswold into the rectorship 
of Trinity Church, Shelburne. To this parish he added 
the care and oversight of the distant missionary stations 
extending over one hundred miles. In 1827 he took charge 
of the parishes of Bethel and Woodstock, where he re- 
mained until 1832, when he became Rector of Trinity 
Church, Gardiner, Maine. At the end of six years he 
returned to his former parish of Woodstock, and in 1846 
became rector of Immanuel Church, Bellows Falls, Ver- 
mont, from which parish, after twelve years' devoted ser- 
vice, he was called to the rectorship of St. Philip's in the 
Highlands. He was then sixty -four years of age, worn 
with unwearied missionary labors, and he not unnatu- 
rally shrank from the task of building the new church. 
The comparative ease of the Chaplaincy of the Church 
Charity Foundation, Brooklyn, offered him the needed 
relief, and he resigned the rectorship at the close of 1859. 
The infirmities of age drove him back to Vermont, and 
in response to the most urgent request of his old friends 
he took the oversight of the churches in Berkshire and 
Montgomery. His scholarly attainments were recog- 
nized by the conferring of the M. A. degree by Middle- 

1 The Eastern Diocese embraced Massachusetts, Maine, Vermont, 
New Hampshire and Rhode Island. 

2 Documentary History of the Diocese of Vermont, p. 173. 




jHjU-tgllt.fr 



Rector, 1857-1859 



Rectors of St. Philip's in the Highlands £67 

bury College in 1820, and the degree of S. T. D. by the 
University of Norwich in 1845. Dr. Clap was a leader 
in the councils of the diocese of Vermont and the Church 
at large. From 1820 to 1832 he was Secretary of the 
diocese; for seven years President of the Standing Com- 
mittee; and for nine years Secretary of the Board of Land 
Agents of the Venerable Society for the Propagation of 
the Gospel, which held title to lands in the State. He rep- 
resented the diocese of Vermont in the General Conven- 
tions of 1829, 1841, 1844, 1847, 1850 and 1853, and was a 
delegate from the diocese of Maine in 1832 and 1838. 
In the year 1830 he was present at the sailing from Boston 
of the first foreign missionaries ever sent out by the 
American Church, and Alonzo Potter records that at a 
little service held in a boarding house the night before 
they sailed, "Some Collects and appropriate prayers were 
offered by our brother Clap of Vermont." 1 Dr. Clap 
was twice married. His first wife was Abigail, daughter 
of Josiah Peckham of Sheldon, Vermont. She died at 
Woodstock. His second wife was a daughter of Isaac 
Hubbard of Claremont, New Hampshire. 

The Rev. Charles Frederick Hoffman entered upon his 
duties as Rector of the parish in May, 1860, and was for- 
mally instituted on June 5th. He was the son of Samuel 
Verplanck Hoffman, and was born in White Street, New 
York City, in 1830. Graduating from Trinity College in 
1851, he entered the General Theological Seminary, but 
before his term of study expired he was ordered Deacon 
by Bishop George Washington Doane, and spent the 
first three years of his ministerial life at Boonton, New 

1 Perry, History of the American Episcopal Church, Vol. II, p. 244. 



268 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Jersey. He then became assistant to Bishop Doane in 
the parochial work of St. Mary's, Burlington, whence he 
came to Garrison. 

During Mr. Hoffman's long rectorship the present 
noble stone church was erected, as was also the Chapel of 
St. James at Manitou. Nor was his parochial work con- 
fined to these centres. He had the true missionary spirit. 
To a flock widely scattered on the hills and in the valleys 
he was a faithful shepherd. In his day St. Philip's was 
the only place of worship in the neighborhood of the river, 
and Mr. Hoffman was pastor to the entire community. 
Not content with ministering to those who attended the 
parish church, he held cottage services in the outlying 
districts. 

He resigned on August 18th, 1873, and removed to New 
York. In reluctantly accepting Mr. Hoffman's resigna- 
tion the Vestry adopted the following Minute: 

In accepting the resignation of the Rev. Charles 
Frederick Hoffman of the rectorship which he has 
held for upwards of thirteen years, the Vestry of St. 
Philip's in the Highlands desire to record their warm 
appreciation of the earnest devotion to his Christian 
duties which has marked his long service in this Par- 
ish, to bear witness to his zeal, and his successful 
efforts in securing the erection of the beautiful edifice 
which will remain a monument to his labors, to his 
taste, and to his generous contributions to the appro- 
priate adornment of the church; to his faithful minis- 
trations among the sick and needy, to his watchful 
care of the young, to the amiable character, and the 
genial and pleasant intercourse which have endeared 
him as a neighbour and a friend. 

Resolved, that in separating his connection with the 
parish the Reverend Mr. Hoffman carries with him 




^J- /^^ ^-*ff~-+- 



Rector, 18G0-1873 



Rectors of St. Philip's in the Highlands 269 

the cordial and sincere affection and regard of this 
Vestry, and that wherever his lot shall be cast, the 
prayers and best wishes of St. Philip's in the High- 
lands will attend him. 

In 1874 Mr. Hoffman became Rector of the parish of 
All Angels, and at his own cost built a beautiful church. 
His large inherited wealth he dispensed with great 
liberality, his gifts to St. Stephen's College alone amount- 
ing to $250,000. During his years of active service he 
made notable contributions to the devotional literature 
of the Church. He was the author of Words for the 
Faithful; The Strait Gate, A Manual for Churchmen; and 
the compiler of All the Week Through, a book of family 
devotion. He died at Jekyl Island on March 4th, 1897. 

On October 17th, 1873, the Rev. Albert Zabriskie 
Gray accepted a call to the rectorship, and served the 
parish with great fidelity and devotion for nine years. 
Mr. Gray was a strong Churchman, and a man of such 
beauty of spirit and loftiness of life that he won the 
respect of the entire community. He, too, had much of 
the missionary spirit, and he built the Chapel of St. John's 
in the Wilderness. 

On his resignation in 1882 the following letter was 
addressed to him by the Vestry of the parish : 

St. Philip's in the Highlands, 

Garrison, Nov. 8th, 1882. 
Reverend and Dear Sir, 

In discharge of the duty entrusted to the under- 
signed as a Committee of the Vestry of St. Philip's 
Church in the Highlands, we beg to express to you the 
feeling of the Vestry and congregation on the pros- 
pect of your early departure from our parish. 



270 The History of St. Philip's Church 

The Vestry of St. Philip's accept your resignation 
with a profound appreciation of the seriousness of the 
severance of the relation of Pastor and flock which 
has existed between us for the past nine years. Those 
years have been marked with much kind intercourse 
and with many acts of charity, benevolence and pas- 
toral care, the recollection of which will be cherished 
among those to whom you have ministered. The 
poor of our parish, and of the neighbourhood outside 
our own Communion, will not forget the charities or 
the ministrations received at your hands. 

We assure you that in the new field of duty upon 
which you are about to enter, you carry with you the 
best wishes of the Vestry and of the congregation of 
St. Philip's for your health and happiness in the dis- 
tant home to which you are going, and for your suc- 
cess in the important branch of duty which you are 
about to assume. 

It is our earnest prayer that God's blessing may be 
with you and yours, now and hereafter. 

Reverend and Dear Sir, 

We are very sincerely and truly yours, 

(Signed) HAMILTON FISH, 

WILLIAM MOORE, 
SAM SLOAN, 
THOS. B. ARDEN. 

Albert Zabriskie Gray was born on March 2nd, 1840. 
He graduated from the University of the City of New York 
in 1860, and from the General Theological Seminary four 
years later. His ordination to the Ministry by Bishop 
Horatio Potter was hastened to enable him to serve 
as Chaplain during the Civil War, to the Fourth Massa- 
chusetts Cavalry, commanded by Colonel Rand. "He 
took the field with his regiment, and shared the glories, 




THE REV. ALBERT ZABRISKIE GRAY, D.D. 

Rector, 1873-1882 



Rectors of St. Philips in the Highlands 271 

perils, hardships and privations of the magnificent Cav- 
alry Corps of the Army of the Potomac in 1864-5, com- 
manded by that illustrious soldier, Lieutenant-General 
Sheridan. He was captured by the enemy in one of the 
many battles in which he participated, and was a prisoner 
of war when General Lee surrendered at Appomattox 
Court House in 1865. During his service in the Army 
he became especially endeared to his command, and was 
a devoted, faithful soldier, in the hospital and around the 
camp fire, in the ranks of those who fought without 
guns. * 

On the declaration of peace Mr. Gray became Rector 
of Bloomfield, New Jersey, where he remained for two 
years. By reason of ill health he traveled extensively 
in Europe and the Orient, and on his return, became 
Rector of St. Philip's in the Highlands. In 1882 he 
succeeded Dr. de Koven as Warden of Racine College, 
Wisconsin, where he served until a short time before his 
death. 

Mr. Gray had marked literary ability, and was a poet 
of no mean order. Among his published works are The 
Land and The Life, or Sketches and Studies in Palestine 
(1876); Mexico As It Is (1878); Words of the Cross (1880); 
Jesus Only, and other Sacred Songs (1882). In 1876 he 
received from Columbia College the degree of Doctor in 
Divinity. Mr. Gray died in Chicago on the 16th of 
February, 1889, at the early age of forty-nine years, and 
of him may be quoted his own verse : 

* Memorial Minute of the Illinois Commandery of the Military 
Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, 1889. 



272 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Oh, happy they whose faith and love 
Through grave and gate of death endure! 
Thrice happy they, who from its sleep 
Rise to the vision of the pure. 

On the 27th of April, 1883, the Rev. Walter Thompson, 
rector of Grace Church, Waterford, in the diocese of 
Albany, accepted a call to the rectorship of the parish. 
He is a graduate of Amherst College, and in 1888 re- 
ceived the degree of Doctor of Sacred Theology from 
Hobart College. Ordained by Bishop William Cros- 
well Doane in 1876, he served as rector of Cambridge, 
New York, and Waterford before coming to Garrison. 
To Dr. Thompson belongs the honor of the longest rec- 
torship of the parish, and on his resignation on March 
1st, 1898, the following minute was placed upon the Ves- 
try records : 

Whereas the Vestry of St. Philip's in the High- 
lands has received the resignation of the Rev. 
Walter Thompson, D. D., as rector of the Parish after 
a service of fifteen years, during all of which time the 
most cordial relations have existed between the Rec- 
tor and the congregation. 

Resolved: That the Vestry accept with profound 
regret Dr. Thompson's resignation, and extend to him 
the warmest expressions of esteem and affection. 

The Rev. Carroll Perry, B. D., was elected Rector 
of the parish in 1898. Mr. Perry is a graduate of 
Williams College and of the Yale Divinity School, 
from which he graduated in 1894. He was ordered 
Deacon in 1896 and ordained Priest in 1898 by Bishop 
H. C. Potter. Previous to coming to Garrison he was 
on the staff of Grace Church, New York. After nine 




THE REV. WALTER THOMPSON, M.A., D.D. 
Rector, 1883-1898 



Rectors of St. Philip's in the Highlands 273 

years' service Mr. Perry resigned to accept the rector- 
ship of St. Peter's parish, Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts. 
In 1911 he became rector of St. Paul's, Brookline. 

He was succeeded on January 16th, 1908, by the Rev. 
Edward Clowes Chorley, B. D., Curate of Bethesda 
Church, Saratoga Springs, and who was formerly Curate 
of Christ Church, Yonkers, St. George's, Newburgh, and 
Rector of Emanuel Church, Great River, Long Island. 

Whilst the parish has never had a resident Curate, 
its extensive missionary work necessitated clerical assis- 
tance to care for the Chapels of St. James and St. John. 
During the rectorship of Dr. Gray he was assisted from 
time to time by the Rev. Dr. John Henry Hobart, and 
later the Rev. George Seabury of Fishkill rendered in- 
valuable service at St. John's Chapel. 

For many years St. James' Chapel was under the pas- 
toral care of the Rev. Richard Beverley Arden, son of 
Colonel Thomas B. Arden. He died on the 21st of 
March, 1910, at Elizabeth, New Jersey. The following 
beautiful "appreciation" fitly summarizes his life and 
work: 

A few days ago was buried in the beautiful church- 
yard of St. Philip's, at Garrison-on-Hudson, all that 
was mortal of Richard Beverley Arden. 

It seems fitting to one who was long associated with 
him, both as rector and friend, to place this tribute of 
affection upon his grave. For he served the worthiest 
till the end. 

In his young manhood he assisted the Rev. Charles 
Frederick Hoffman in his ministerial duties, and later 
gave valued service to the Rev. Albert Zabriskie Gray, 
during the nine years of his incumbency of St. Philip's. 
When Dr. Gray resigned his charge to assume the war- 



274 The History of St. Philip's Church 

denship of Racine College, Beverley Arden went with 
him to his Western home, and served faithfully in the 
Grammar School of Racine College during the term of 
Dr. Gray's administration. 

On his return to his Highland home he was ordained 
to the diaconate by Bishop Henry C. Potter, and for 
many years, as assistant to the Rev. Walter Thomp- 
son, D. D., was in charge of the mission chapel of St. 
James in the Highlands. Only those who have had 
personal experience of country mission work can appre- 
ciate all the self-denial and self-effacement consequent 
upon this service to the Church. In summer heat 
and winter storm, year after year, without inter- 
mission, Beverley Arden ministered with conscien- 
tious fidelity to those committed to his charge. And 
when ill health came to him, and he was forced by 
failing strength to relinquish his charge, there were 
those who felt he had earned his place within "the 
aristocracy of grace." 

It is with full realization of this fact that I would 
write this brief memorial as the representative of the 
many who in past years received his kindly ministra- 
tions and who would wish to give fitting tribute to his 
worth. There are not many, so limited as to health and 
strength, who bring their all, and place themselves and 
all they are, and have, in loving homage at the Mas- 
ter's feet. We read of her, whose praise is in the Gos- 
pel, who gave more than they all, because she gave all 
the living that she had. So Beverley Arden, both in 
youth and age, gave himself in utter consecration to 
the service of the Church he so earnestly loved. He 
rests in peace among the Highland hills, surrounded 
by the 'sleeping places' of those of his own generation 
to whom he ministered in holy things. Of him it 
can be said in all truth and sincerity that he was faith- 



Rectors of St. Philip's in the Highlands 275 

ful unto death, and by his faithfulness earned the 
crown of life. So by his example he preached the 
Word of Life, and by the consecration of his life he 
brought many to righteousness. 

There are those, not a few, who rejoice that his final 
sleep is to be among those to whom he ministered so 
faithfully in the temple of God, and to be remembered 
by them as one who "being dead yet speaketh." 1 



1 Rev. Walter Thompson, D. D., The Churchman, April 23d, 1910. 



276 The History of St. Philip's Church 

RECTORS AND "PRIESTS IN CHARGE" OF 
ST. PHILIP'S IN THE HIGHLANDS 
FROM 1834 TO 1910. 

1835. fRev. Charles Luck. 

1836. fRev. Mr. Peake. 

1836-7. fRev. Henry Lemuel Storrs, M. A. 

1838-9. fRev. Edward C. Bull. 

1839-43. Rev. Ebenezer Williams. 

1843-50. Rev. Robert Shaw. 

1852-3. fRev. David E. Barr. 

1854-7. Rev. Edward M. Pecke, M. A. 

1857-9. Rev. Joel Clap, D.D. 

1860-73. Rev. Charles Frederick Hoffman, M.A., 

D.D. 
1873-1882. Rev. Albert Zabriskie Gray, D. D. 
1883-1898. Rev. Walter Thompson, M. A., S.T. D. 
1898-1907. Rev. Carroll Perry, B. D. 
1908. Rev. Edward Clowes Chorley, B.D. 

In addition to these, the Rev. Edward Wallace Neil 
ministered for a short time about 1882, and at St. James' 
Chapel there served 

Rev. James Upjohn, 
Rev. R. Beverley Arden, 

and at St. John's Chapel, 

Rev. George Seabury. 

f Priest in Charge. 





Rector, 1898-1907 



Rectors of St Philip's in the Highlands 277 



INSTITUTION OF RECTORS. 

The following Rectors were formally instituted to 
their office, and the keys of St. Philip's in the Highlands 
placed in their hands: 

1843. The Rev. Ebenezer Williams, by 

Harry Garrison, "Esq.", senior 
Warden. 

July 14th, 1858. The Rev. Joel Clap, D.D., by Bishop 

Horatio Potter. 

June 5th, 1860. The Rev. Charles Frederick Hoffman, 
M. A., by the Rev. Alfred B. Beach, 
D.D., Rector of St. Peter's, New 
York, acting for Bishop Horatio 
Potter. 

March 8th, 1908. The Rev. Edward Clowes Chorley, 

B.D., by Bishop Henry Codman 
Potter, the keys of the Church 
being presented by the Hon. Ham- 
ilton Fish. 



278 The History of St . Philip' s Church 



ORDINATIONS. 

The following ordinations have taken place in the 
Church of St. Philip's in the Highlands : 



May 9th, 1833. 



July 27th, 1837. 



September 13th, 1839. 



St. Matthew's Day, 
September 21st, 1890. 

June 24th, 1894. 



Rev. James Sunderland, to the 
Priesthood, by Bishop On- 
derdonk. 

The Rev. Henry Lemuel Storrs, 
M.A., to the Priesthood, by 
Bishop Onderdonk. 

The Rev. Ebenezer Williams, 
to the Priesthood, by Bishop 
Benjamin T. Onderdonk. 

Hamilton Cady, to the Diacon- 
ate, by Bishop Henry Codman 
Potter. 

The Rev. Elbert Floyd-Jones, 
M. A., to the Priesthood, by 
Bishop Henry Codman Potter. 



CHAPTER X. 

THE PARISH OF ST. PHILIP'S IN THE HIGHLANDS. 
WARDENS AND VESTRYMEN. 

1840-1911. 

ST. Philip's Parish has been singularly fortunate 
in the laymen called to administer its temporal 
concerns. Many of the Wardens and Vestry- 
men were men of mark; men who held positions of honor 
and responsibility, and they brought their large expe- 
rience to serve the interests of the parish in which they 
lived. 

The following is a tabulated list of the deceased War- 
dens and Vestrymen, with their years of service: 

CHURCHWARDENS. 



Samuel Gouverneur 


1840-47. 


Harry Garrison 


1808-45. 


John Garrison 


1848-63. 


Frederick Philipse 


1848-74. 


Henry W. Belcher 


1864-76. 


William Moore 


1875-85. 


Hamilton Fish, LL. D. 


1877-93. 


Thomas B. Arden 


1885-95. 


Samuel Sloan 


1896-1907. 


Charles de Rham 


1894-1909. 


VESTRYMEN. 


Daniel Haight 


1795-9; 1808-16; 1820-42. 




Warden in 1800. 


Frederick Philipse 


1829-48. Warden 1848. 



280 The History of St. Philip's Church 



John Garrison 
Henry C. de Rham 
Richard D. Arden 
Cornelius Nelson 
Justus Nelson, 2nd 
Joshua Nelson 
Cornelius Nelson, Jr. 
Cyrus Gay 
George Haight 
Peter Bross 
Thomas B. Arden 

S. M. Warburton Gouverneur 

James Henry Garrison 

Christopher Haight 

Henry Mead 

Adolphe N. Gouverneur 

Henry W. Belcher 

John Hopper 

James Garrison 

Richard Upjohn 

George F. Garrison 

William Moore 

Hamilton Fish 

William D. Garrison 

David Maguire 

George Miller 

Nathaniel F. Moore, LL. D. 

George E. Moore 

General Jas. F. Hall 

Charles de Rham 

Samuel Sloan 

William S. Livingston 

William H. Osborn 

Francis A. Livingston 

John M. Toucey 

John H. Iselin 



1826-47. Warden 1848. 

1836-47; 1864-74. 

1840-57. 

1802, 1811-29; 1836-41. 

1840-41. 

1840. 

1841-2. 

1841-2. 

1842-44. 

1842-44. 

1843-9; 1853-7. Warden 

1885. 
1844-52; 1864-76. 
1846-47. 
1847. 
1847-54. 
1852-54. 

1852-92. Warden 1864. 
1852-53. 
1852-53. 
1852-78. 

1857-61; 1865-66. 
1857-85. Warden 1875. 
1862-93. Warden 1877. 
1863-64; 1868-69. 
1863-64. 
1863-64. 
1865-73. 
1865-67. 
1867-77. 

1874-94. Warden 1894. 
1875-96. Warden 1896. 
1875-91. 
1877-78. 
1880-85. 
1890-96. 
1890-93. 




SAMUEL GOUVERNEUR 

Church Warden, 1840-1847 



Wardens and Vestrymen of St. Philip's 281 

The present Wardens and Vestrymen, with the date 
of their elections, are: 

CHURCH WARDENS. 

Hamilton Fish 1907. Elected Vestryman 1874. 
Charles de Rham 1909. Elected Vestryman 1895. 



VESTRYMEN. 


Thomas H. Austin 


1869. 


William Church Osborn 


1886. 


Colonel William E. Rogers 


1895. 


Dr. Timothy M. Cheesman 


1896. 


Samuel Sloan 


1898. 


William M. Benjamin 


1907. 


Henry Fairfield Osborn, D. Sc, 




LL.D. 


1909. 


Stuyvesant Fish 


1910. 


Charles C. Haight 


1910. 1 



The following have served the parish as Clerk to the 
Vestry, and Treasurer: * 

CLERK TO THE VESTRY. 

Frederick Philipse 1836-73. 

Henry W. Belcher 1873-77; 1878-92. 

James F. Hall 1877-78. 

John H. Iselin 1892-94. 

Hamilton Fish 1894-95. 

Charles de Rham, Jr. 1895-1909. 

William M. Benjamin 1909. 

1 Mr. Frederick Gore King retired from the Vestry in 1910, owing 
to removal from the parish, after seventeen years' valued service. 



282 The History of St . P hilip 9 s Church 



TREASURER. 


Frederick Philipse 


1836-73. 


Henry W. Belcher 


1873-92. 


John M. Toucey 


1892-98. 


William E. Rogers 


1898. 



SAMUEL GOUVERNEUR'S (1840-7) name appears 
as senior Warden at the first election of a Vestry for the 
parish in 1840. It was a fitting tribute to one who had 
for many years served the Church in the Highlands with 
unstinted devotion. For eight years previous to the 
separation of the two churches Mr. Gouverneur had 
been a member of the Vestry, and his election as the 
first Warden of the new parish was not only a recog- 
nition of personal worth, but also of the great obligation 
of St. Philip's Church to the Philipse family. Mr. Gouv- 
erneur was born in 1771, and married Mary, only daugh- 
ter of Captain Frederick Philips. Their children were, 
Frederick (who took the name of Philipse), Adolphus 
Nathaniel, Samuel Mangan Warburton, Margaret and 
Mary Marston. It is noteworthy that all three sons 
were members of the Vestry. Mr. Gouverneur died 
January 29th, 1847, in the seventy-sixth year of his age. 

With the advent of HARRY GARRISON (1808-45) 
to the Vestry there began a family connection with that 
honorable position which extended over a period of 

seventy -three years. He was descended from Gerret 
Gerretsen, who came over on the "Gilded Beaver" from 





Church Warden, 1848-18G3 



Wardens and Vestrymen of St. Philip's 283 

Holland in 1660 and lived on Staten Island. The char- 
acter of the man is well set forth in the following certifi- 
cate: 

We Burgomasters, Schepens and Councillors of the 
City of Waggenin declare: by these presents, that 
there appeared before us, Hendrick Glessin and Jor- 
diz Sparers, citizens of this city, at the request of 
Gerret Gerretsen and Anna Herrmanne, his wife. 
They have testified and certified, as they do by these 
presents, that they have good knowledge of the 
above named Gerret Gerretsen and Anna Herr- 
manne, his wife, as to their life and conversation, and 
that they have always been considered and esteemed 
as pious and honest people, and that no complaint of 
any evil or disorderly conduct has ever reached their 
ears; on the contrary, they have always led quiet, 
pious and honest lives, as it becomes pious and honest 
persons. They especially testify that they govern 
their family well, and bring up their children in the 
fear of God, and in all modesty and respectability. 
As the above named persons have resolved to remove 
and proceed to New Netherlands in order to find 
greater convenience, they give this attestation, 
grounded on their knowledge of them, having known 
them intimately, and having been in continual in- 
tercourse with them many years, living in the same 
neighbourhood . 

In testimony of the truth, we, the Burgomasters 
of the city have caused the secret seal of the city to 
be imprinted on this paper. 

Done at Wegennin 27th November, 1660. * 

Harry Garrison was the first member of the family to 
settle on the Hudson, and he bought land here about 1785. 
He was a farmer, and for some years lived in Pleasant 

1 Pelletreau's History of Putnam County, p. 617. 



284 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Valley. He threw himself heartily into the work of the 
parish to which the ties of marriage bound him very 
closely, becoming a leader in the social and religious life 
of the community, and was the first County Judge of 
Putnam. The journal of the Rev. Silas Constant records 
many services "at the house of Esq. Garrison." In 1785 
he married Jane, daughter of Joshua Nelson, a member 
of the first Vestry in 1770, and grand-daughter of Jacob 
Mandeville, in whose house the first services of the 
Church were held. For forty-six years he served on the 
Vestry. First elected in 1795; re-elected in 1800 and 
from 1808 until his death in 1845 he was one of the 
Wardens. He is buried in St. Philip's churchyard. 

He was succeeded as Warden by his only surviving son, 
JOHN GARRISON (1848-63), who throughout the 
county was known as "Judge," and who filled almost 
every public office in the gift of the people. He was 
Judge of Putnam County, Sheriff, Surrogate, twice a mem- 
ber of the Legislature and for forty consecutive years a 
Justice of the Peace. Born in 1795, he married Martha, 
daughter of John Dominick of New York. In 1829 he 
established the ferry to West Point, and eighteen years 
later the name of the landing was changed to "Garri- 
son's." Though a strong Democrat John Garrison ral- 
lied to the support of the Union threatened by the 
Civil War. Presiding at a county mass meeting held at 
Carmel on September 7th, 1861, he said, "I have voted 
the Democratic ticket for forty years, and last fall I 
voted for John C. Breckenridge, but I thank God that I 
lost my vote, and am proud to stand here with my fellow 
citizens of all parties, to ground our party weapons, and 




Aj^^^ 



Vestryman, 1829-1848 
Church Warden, 1848-1874 



Wardens and Vestrymen of St, Philip's 285 

join in battling for the welfare of our common country." 1 
Judge Garrison was a member of the Vestry for thirty- 
seven years; from 1826 until 1848 as a Vestryman, and 
from 1848 until 1863 as Warden. He died November 
3rd, 1867. In all five members of the Garrison family 
served on the Vestry. Harry was elected in 1795; John 
in 1826; James in 1852; George F. in 1857; and William 
D. in 1863. 

It would be difficult to exaggerate the debt which 
the parish owes to the Philipse family, the Lords of 
the Manor. They gave liberally of land, money and 
personal service. In the annals of the Vestry the name 
of FREDERICK PHILIPSE (1848-74) stands out 
prominently for nearly half a century. The son of 
Samuel Gouverneur, he assumed the name of "Philipse" 
by an act of the Legislature in 1830, and married on 
July 3rd, 1856, Catherine Wads worth Post of Hunting- 
ton, Long Island. In the year 1829 he became a member 
of the Vestry, and served continuously until 1848, when 
he became Warden, which office he filled until his death 
in 1874. By profession a lawyer, his somewhat frail 
health precluded him from active practice, and he 
divided his interest between the parish and the care of 
the family estate. For thirty-seven years he filled the 
offices of Clerk and Treasurer to the Vestry. During 
all those years he kept the records with the most pains- 
taking care, retaining a copy of every important letter he 
wrote. His accounts are models of lucidity. To him 
we owe the preservation of the original minutes of the 
Vestry, and without his care and forethought the annals 

1 Pelletreau's History of Putnam County, p. 204. 



286 The History of St. Philip's Church 

of the parish could never have been transcribed. He 
was a country gentleman of the highest type, knowing 
personally every tenant, deeply interested in their wel- 
fare and their steadfast friend and helper in time of need. 

Mr. Philipse died at his Highland home on Monday, 
October 26th, 1874, in the seventy-first year of his age, 
and was buried in the family vault in Trinity churchyard, 
New York. In the words of his former rector he was "a 
communicant of many years; a thoughtful and con- 
scientious man, a laborious officer for many years in his 
parish, a loyal citizen, a considerate friend." 1 The 
Vestry spoke of him as "identified by personal and family 
ties, reaching into the last century, with the worthiest 
history and interests of this region, and long a principal 
pillar in its venerable Church — himself a gentleman 
of the old school — a man of simple, strong, straightfor- 
ward character; we cannot but feel in our bereavement 
that we are mourning a friend indeed, and one whose place 
in the ranks of Christian service it will not be easy to fill. 
His liberal benefactions to this parish will form for him 
a fitting monument as lasting as our Highland hills, 
amid which he only cared to live and die." 

HENRY W. BELCHER (1864-76) entered the Vestry 
in 1852 and served exactly forty years. From 1864 to 
1876 he was one of the Wardens. The son of Dr. Elisha 
R. Belcher, he was born at Portchester, July 8th, 1820. 
His early life was spent in New York City. By his 
marriage in 1843 to Martha A., daughter of John Garri- 
son, he became connected with the parish, and eventually 
purchased the old homestead of Harry Garrison. For 

1 Rev. C. F. Hoffman in The Churchman. 







Vestryman, 1852-1864 
Church Warden, 1864-1 87G 



Wardens and Vestrymen of St. Philip's 287 

several years he was on the Vestry of the Church of the 
Epiphany, New York. As recorded elsewhere, Mr. 
Belcher was the donor of the land on which the Rectory 
was built. He died on October 25th, 1892, aged seventy- 
two years, and the Vestry voiced their sorrow in these 
words : 

Loving the Highland hills as few loved them, and 
caring only here to live, he built his home and with 
his house, sought to upbuild the house of God. As 
Warden, Vestryman, Clerk and Treasurer, he gave 
willing and efficient service to the Church and the com- 
munity. In the days when the parish was weak and 
struggling for a mere existence, he gave the land on 
which the Rectory is built, and a portion of the land en- 
closing our beautiful churchyard. Resting from his 
labors, he sleeps near the church of his love, and in 
the consecrated ground he gave for the resting place 
of the children of the Church. 

WILLIAM MOORE (1875-85) became a member of 
the Vestry in 1857, and served until his death in 1885, 
the last ten years as Warden. He came of one of the 
oldest families in America, being descended from Thomas 
de Moore, who went to England with William of Nor- 
mandy in 1066, * and fought in the battle of Hastings. 
His American ancestor was the Rev. John Moore, the 
first Independent minister of Newtown, and who died in 
1657. Mr. Moore was the son of Dr. William Moore and 
Jane Fish, his wife, and a nephew of Benjamin Moore, 
second Bishop of the diocese of New York. He was born 
in 1798, and was associated in business with his colleague 
on the Vestry, Henry Casimir de Rham. He was a man 

1 Riker's Annals of Newtown, p. 327. 



288 The History of St. Philip's Church 

of singular charm of disposition and a devoted Church- 
man. He died on the 9th of July, 1885, in the eighty- 
eighth year of his age, and to his memory his colleagues 
on the Vestry paid this beautiful tribute: 

Sweet and lovely in his nature, and in his inter- 
course, but stern and inflexible in his principle, Mr. 
Moore's was a life which a Christian may wish to 
have lived, and to which a Christian may point for 
an example. For many years a member, a vestry- 
man, and a warden of this parish, his presence was 
constant, and his zealous devotion at the services of 
the Church inspired zeal and devotion in others. 

HAMILTON FISH, LL.D. (1877-93), came to reside 
in the parish just as steps were being taken to build the 
new church. Entering the Vestry in 1862, for fourteen 
years as vestryman, and sixteen years as warden, he 
placed his large knowledge of affairs freely at the disposal 
of the Church. 

The Fish family traces its origin to Saxon times, and 
first settled in this country at Lynn, Massachusetts, re- 
moving in 1637 to Sandwich, on Cape Cod. Jonathan 
Fish was one of the founders of Newtown, Long Island, in 
1659. Hamilton was the third child of Colonel Nicholas 
Fish and Elizabeth Stuyvesant, his wife, and was born in 
New York on August 3rd, 1808. A graduate of Colum- 
bia in the class of 1827, he was admitted to the Bar in 
1830. As befitted a descendant of Peter Stuyvesant, 
Mr. Fish was greatly interested in the problems of gov- 
ernment, and in 1842 elected a member of the House of 
Representatives of the United States. Six years later he 
was elected to the high office of Governor of the State of 
New York after having served for one year as Lieutenant 




Vestryman, 1857-1875 
Church Warden, 1875-1885 




Wardens and Vestrymen of St, Philip's 289 

Governor, and in 1851 he was chosen United States Sen- 
ator. With the election of General Ulysses S. Grant to 
the Presidency in 1869, Mr. Fish was appointed Secre- 
tary of State, an office he held for eight years with signal 
advantage to the country. He carried to a successful 
issue the delicate negotiations on the Alabama Claims 
with Great Britain, and as a member of Joint High Com- 
mission negotiated the Treaty of Washington in 1871. 
While at the head of the Department of State, to his 
skillful handling of affairs a war with Spain was averted, 
and largely due to his influence was the veto of the In- 
flation Act by General Grant, which resulted in the pas- 
sage of the Resumption Act for specie payments through- 
out the United States. 

"Few men," writes the then assistant secretary of state, 
"were better fitted for this place by training, by experi- 
ence, and by qualities of mind and character than Hamil- 
ton Fish. . . . His father had served in the conti- 
nental army, and was the intimate friend and executor of 
Alexander Hamilton . . . Graduating at Columbia 
College with the highest honors, he identified himself from 
early manhood with every effort for its prosperity and 
growth. He was respected and beloved in his native city. 
. In his dealings with others he was just, patient 
and even tempered; a good listener; modest and retiring; 
kindly and sympathetic; and carried his own measures 
by convincing others of their justice." 1 

Although immersed in affairs of State, Mr. Fish found 
time to promote the interests of the parish in manifold 
directions. To his generosity was due the construction of 

1 J. C. Bancroft Davis : Mr. Fish and the Alabama Claims, p. 16-17. 



290 The History of St. Philip's Church 

the stonewall enclosing the churchyard, and he was one of 
the members of the building committee of the new church. 
After his death there was found in his own handwriting ex- 
tensive and valuable memoranda outlining the history of 
the parish. He died on Thursday, September 7th, 1893, 
at the age of eighty-five years, and was interred in the 
churchyard, the officiating clergymen being the late 
Bishop H. C. Potter, Dr. Morgan Dix and the Rev. Dr. 
Walter Thompson, Rector of the parish. Preaching on 
All Saints' Day the Rector said: 

Men will tell you that Hamilton Fish was the re- 
sult, in his political and social relations, of favoring 
circumstances, and that what men call good birth 
and easy fortune were the elements out of which his 
successful career was wrought. The materialism of 
life would reduce everything to a question of fortune 
and of blood. But you and I who knew the man can 
contradict with most emphatic speech such a trav- 
esty upon the facts of the case. Hamilton Fish be- 
came the eminent and foremost man he was because 
all through life he was governed by principle alone. 

As a statesman (I purposely avoid the word poli- 
tician) he ever sought to be governed by right, truth, 
justice, magnanimity. True, he lived and did his 
work for God and State, before the days when politics 
became a business, and men gained influence and pre- 
ferment, not by worth, but from their usefulness to 
what is now vulgarly denominated the machine. He 
never sought office; the highest political gifts in the 
power of the people of this, the Empire State of the 
Republic, to confer, were literally forced upon him. 
He never went about cap in hand asking for place in 
the councils of the nation, and the people of his State 
forced upon him the Senatorship in the day when the 




(^//&000Jc7ffi2L 




Vestryman, 1862-1876 
Church Warden, 187G-1893 



Wardens and Vestrymen of St, Philip's 291 

word conveyed a meaning lost to the wire-pulling 
and venal party men of our generation. 

In the most troublous times of readjustment at the 
close of our Civil War (with problems of stupendous 
magnitude before the country; with domestic com- 
plications, and foreign controversies), he was called 
from a well-earned seclusion and rest amid these 
Highland Hills to act as the adviser of the greatest 
soldier of the age. And he went from the quiet wor- 
ship of his God in this little church to preside as Sec- 
retary of State over the destinies of the nation. 
There was no gift in the power of the nation to bestow, 
save one, which was not his, and in them all, as Con- 
gressman, Governor, Senator, Secretary of State, he 
was actuated by one only rule, God's Rule of Truth. 
And when he died, and we laid him at rest here in this 
quiet Highland churchyard, the newspaper press of 
the entire nation, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, 
without respect of party affiliation, paid fitting tribute 
to his worth. 

And why? He was a Statesman, not a mere party 
man. With him questions were national questions 
and fraught with national concern. And so the other 
day (when national problems have been turned into 
mere questions of party aggrandizement) men turned 
aside from their selfish self-seeking and with un- 
covered head paid their tribute to this son of the 
"elder time," who served his God with true wor- 
ship, and his country with all the devotion of his life 
and heart. 

The history of our times has yet to be written. 
You and I perhaps will not live to read the written 
page, but on it our children will be pointed to the life 
of Hamilton Fish as an incentive to high endeavor and 
true living; as the life of one who had all the world 
had to give, not because he sought it, for he never did, 



292 The History of St. Philip's Church 

but because men saw in him the living embodiment of 
that patriotism which alone in perilous times can save 
the State. 

The same principles that moulded the Statesman 
controlled the Churchman. He was not a man of 
narrow sympathies, nor could he in any sense be 
called a party man. He was too loyal a son of the 
Church for party affiliations. He loved the Church 
with all the intensity of his nature and all the loyalty 
of his heart. The liturgical service, the reverent 
rites, the Sacramental system, the Episcopal gov- 
ernment, all claimed his reverence, and to all he gave 
his devoted homage. To him the Church, in her Sac- 
raments, represented the extension of the Incarnation 
of Jesus Christ. His was too deep and serious a 
nature to be carried away by party enthusiasm and 
temporary excitement in the ecclesiastical world. 
And so, when in the diocese, or in the Church at 
large, a representative man was needed, men always 
turned to him. His was a wise conservatism tem- 
pered by knowledge and experience of men and move- 
ments. 

The oldest living member of the Diocesan Conven- 
tion in continuous service; a member for many years 
from the Diocese of New York to the General Con- 
vention of the Church; a member of the Committee 
on the Revision of the Book of Common Prayer, he 
brought into every committee room and to each delib- 
erative body a wise judgment and wide knowledge 
upon matters of ecclesiastical import. Men trusted 
him and were guided by him, not simply because he 
was conservative in his views, but because they real- 
ized that his conservatism was not the result of in- 
tellectual stagnation but of profound knowledge and 
reading of the fundamentals of the faith. And al- 
though a decided and consistent Churchman, he in- 
cluded within his ecclesiastical range of sympathy all 



Wardens and Vestrymen of St. Philip's 293 

those who are redeemed by the Blood of Christ and 
are partakers of the Divine benefits. And in his con- 
ception of the Church, the body of Christ, he had the 
well-attested verification of the wisest and most in- 
fluential of the Anglican Divines. 

When I come to speak of our late Warden in his 
parochial relationship, I feel intensely the delicacy 
of my position and the utter inadequacy of my words. 
In no strained sense I followed his bier as one that 
mourned for a brother. As I read those words by 
which Holy Church brings comfort to the mourning 
and the sorrowful, I was reminded of the last appear- 
ance of Samuel before the hosts of Israel when he as- 
sembled them at Gilgal: "Here am I this day, testify 
against me." And as on the plain of Gilgal no sen- 
tence could be found against the Judge and Prophet, 
so in the representative assemblage in this holy place, 
when the Office for the Burial of the Dead was read, 
men had one only word to say, and that of fullest com- 
mendation. Here rests a man of God. 1 

The following minute of the Vestry voices the high 
esteem in which Governor Fish was held in the parish : 

The Vestry of St. Philip's Church in the Highlands 
painfully appreciate the loss of their venerable and 
beloved associate, Mr. Hamilton Fish, who passed 
through death unto life on the seventh day of Sep- 
tember, inst. For more than thirty years a member, 
a Vestryman, and a Warden of this Church, he leaves 
behind him a record of great beneficence and zealous 
interest in all parochial concerns. Called, in the prov- 
idence of God, to high and responsible duties in the 
ecclesiastical council of the Church, he ever retained 
his chief love and devoted interest for his Highland 

1 A Tribute of Love to the Memory of Hamilton Fish, LL. D., by 
Walter Thompson, D. D., privately printed, 1894. 



294 The History of St. Philip's Church 

parish home. A member of the Committee on the 
Revision of the Book of Common Prayer, for many- 
years a Deputy from the Diocese of New York to 
the General Convention, and the oldest delegate of 
continuous service to the Diocesan Convention of 
New York, he brought wide and far-reaching knowl- 
edge to every question of parochial import, and a 
matured judgment on all ecclesiastical concerns. 
Firm in his religious convictions, free in the dis- 
pensation of his charities, and of his philanthropy, he 
walked among us a model of purity, of integrity, and 
of generosity, beloved and venerated. 

Long retired from the active duties of the world, 
he devoted his later years to his duties to his family, 
to his neighbors and to his God. A life of eighty-five 
years, well spent, is closed without a spot or blemish 
on its long career. Love and affection follow him in 
death as they attended him in life. 

The Vestry place upon his grave this testimony 
of their sincere and affectionate admiration of his 
character, and of their deep lament of their loss 
at his departure. 

For many years, Colonel THOMAS BOYLE ARDEN 

was a prominent figure in the community and a devoted 
communicant of the Church. The second son of Richard 
D. Arden and Jane De Peyster, he was born in New 
York City, May 27th, 1813. He entered West Point 
July 1st, 1830, and graduated June 30th, 1835. After 
serving at various frontier posts he spent the years 1837- 
41 as assistant instructor at West Point, and later served 
in the Florida War. Resigning from the Army in 1842, 
he returned to active service when the Civil War broke 
out, and took part in the defense of Washington, and also 
acted as military agent to the New York troops from 




COLONEL THOMAS BOYLE ARDEN 

Vestryman, 1848-1867; 1878-1885 
Church Warden, 1885-1896 



Wardens and Vestrymen of St. Philip's 295 

1861 to 1863. His official connection with the parish 
extended over a period of thirty-seven years. Elected 
first as a Vestryman in 1848, he served until 1867; re- 
entered the Vestry eleven years later, and in 1885 he 
became a Warden, occupying that position until his 
death. For many years he had charge of the church- 
yard as Registrar of the Vestry. Colonel Arden was a 
gentleman of the old school, a devout and regular attend- 
ant on the services of the Church, where, with his blue 
coat and gilt buttons, he made a picturesque figure. He 
departed this life in 1896 at the age of eighty-four. 

SAMUEL SLOAN'S association with the Vestry 
of St. Philip's in the Highlands extended over a period of 
nearly thirty-three years. Born at Lisburn, Ireland, 
on Christmas Day, 1817, he was baptized in the Cathe- 
dral of which Jeremy Taylor was second Bishop. Brought 
to America in early infancy he spent his long and honored 
life in New York and its vicinity. In 1844 he married 
Margaret, daughter of Peter Elmendorf . For very many 
years he was a prominent factor in the development of 
railroads. From 1857 to 1867 he was President of the 
Hudson River Railroad, and shortly after his retirement 
from that position he became President of the Delaware, 
Lackawanna and Western road, at the head of which he 
remained for forty years. From the time that he pur- 
chased a large estate in Garrison, though an Elder in the 
Dutch Reformed Church in New York, he threw himself 
most heartily into the welfare of this parish, giving un- 
stintedly both time and money. He died, honored and 
respected by the whole community, on September 22nd, 
1907, aged ninety years, and was laid to rest in the 
churchyard. 



296 The History of St . Philip 9 s Church 

The following resolution was adopted by the Vestry : 

Whereas the Vestry of S. Philip's Church in the 
Highlands has learned with sorrow of the death of 
Samuel Sloan, a member of the Vestry for thirty-two 
years, and Warden for eleven years, 

Resolved: That we inscribe on our Minutes a 
record of his long and valued service and a tribute to 
the manly piety which ever led him to devote his rare 
gifts of energy and judgment to the service of this 
Church. He entered with zeal upon every interest 
of the parish, and his counsels were all of peace. 
"Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that 
walketh in His ways." 

The Sunday after his death a beautiful tribute of 
friendship was paid to Mr. Sloan's memory by his friend 
and former rector, the Rev. Dr. Walter Thompson, who 
said: 

From every point of view Samuel Sloan was a man 
of simple tastes, kindly, genial, home-loving, just and 
courteous. He would pass from a committee room in 
which great financial matters were discussed, to take 
his place in this quiet Highland Church as a humble 
member of Christ's flock. He was greatly pleased at 
his election as Warden. He wrote the then Rector, 
"I accept with pleasure the election to an office held 
by some of distinction, and for whom I had the great- 
est esteem" .... His life had been enriched 
beyond that of any man I had ever known. Not only 
to pass the threescore years and ten of the Psalmist, 
but ten years more than the fourscore years of "labor 
and sorrow," with eye undimned — and like the great 
Lawgiver — with natural force unabated; to have 
gathered around him sons and daughters doing their 
life work with honor and esteem; to see around him 
his children's children to realize in his own old age the 




Vestryman, 1875-1896 
Church Warden, 1896-1907 



Wardens and Vestrymen of St. Philip's 297 

truth of the Divine promise, "and show mercy unto 
the third and fourth generation in them that love Me 
and keep my commandments." And truly the bless- 
ing of the Lord, in whom he so profoundly believed, 
was upon him. To round out a career of ninety years, 
to be in full possession of his faculties, to be freed from 
the depression of extreme old age, to be deeply inter- 
ested in the social and political problems of a genera- 
tion two score and more younger than his own, with- 
out a stain on his escutcheon, without pain and suffer- 
ing gently to fold the hands and close the eyes and fall 
asleep like a little child. Truly this is to inherit the 
blessing of the Lord. 1 

CHARLES de RHAM was the son of Henry Casimir 
de Rham, whose name first appears as a member of the 
Vestry in 1836. He was born in 1822. His death, on 
February 23rd, 1909, closed an association with the 
parish of St. Philip's in the Highlands which covered a 
period of seventy-five years. In 1874 he was elected a 
member of the Vestry, and in 1894 was made Warden, 
his service on the Vestry extending over thirty-five years. 

Preaching in the parish church on All Saints' Day, 
the Rev. Dr. Walter Thompson said of him: 

Charles de Rham was, for more than a genera- 
tion, a Vestryman and Warden of the Parish. He 
walked beside the still waters, and was but little known 
among the busy haunts of men. But where known, 
and understood, he commanded a respect and in- 
fluence given few men to wield. His standards were of 
the highest, and he never lowered them to meet the 
changing customs of the world. This was not due 
to any personal idiosyncracy, but to a deep under- 

1 A Tribute of Friendship to the Memory of Samuel Sloan, by Rev. 
Walter Thompson, S.T.D., privately printed, 1907. 



298 The History of St . P hilly' s Church 

lying consciousness of the seriousness of life, and an 
understanding acceptance of its responsibilities. He 
was in the fullest sense and meaning of the word a 
completely efficient man. True, he never held 
public office and seemed to eschew public recognition. 
I apprehend, however, this was because his conception 
of life and its obligations was too high for the under- 
standing of those who controlled public gifts of 
office and preferment. Charles de Rham always 
stood for the highest and best things in Church and 
State. He held the highest views of duty to God, 
to family, and to civic life. He could not, (it would 
have been both repugnant and abhorrent to his na- 
ture,) lower his conception of duty to meet the exi- 
gencies of the political world. And so he stood 
apart, as of necessity, the best men in our American 
world are forced to stand apart. And I believe that 
by so standing apart they exert a wider and a 
greater influence in the community in which they 
dwell. For men always, and everywhere, of neces- 
sity, such is their nature that they cannot do other- 
wise, look up to the man who stands above the crowd. 
Such a one was Charles de Rham. He stood for the 
best American traditions of refinement and culture. 
The dominant factor in his life was simplicity. Any- 
thing artificial, and any form of affectation, met with 
his unexpressed, but well merited contempt. So, in 
a changing civilization, and with lowered standards 
of social life he always remained fixed and unchanging 
and unchangeable, in his loyalty to the customs of 
the elder generation. His was the mental habit of 
the wise men of the period before the civil war. They 
were intensely devoted to their families, and felt to the 
very depths of their being parental obligation. Parent- 
hood brought with it the most fundamental of human 
obligations, the care and upbringing of the generation 
to follow their own. In the home, and all that is im- 




CHARLES de RHAM 

Vestryman, 1874-1894 
Church Warden, 1894-1909 



Wardens and Vestrymen of St. Philip's £99 

plied in the name, was found the object of his care and 
abiding solicitude. To the young man of today the 
idea seems obsolete but to the man of that day, and 
to the views which controlled the purposes and ob- 
jects of their lives, the young of this day and genera- 
tion owe absolutely everything that gives them out- 
standing advantage in their world. 

For more than seventy years Charles de Rham oc- 
cupied the same home in the Highland Hills. His life 
touched with gracious and courtly influence five 
generations, and if, as Matthew Arnold said, "con- 
duct is three-fourths of life," what an example of life 
and conduct he has left all those who remain! 1 

The following tribute stands on the Vestry records: 

Trained from childhood in the Church, Charles de 
Rham was a sincere and devout Christian, and adorned 
in his daily life the doctrine of God in Christ. 
Regular in his attendance on the services and sacra- 
ments of the Church, he was a generous contributor, 
a faithful member of the Vestry, and a wise counsellor 
in the temporal concerns of the parish. His useful 
and honored life was prolonged beyond the allotted 
span, but his eye was not dim, nor his natural strength 
abated. The hoary head was a crown of glory. To 
the last he retained his sunny disposition, and his 
characteristic keen and kindly interest alike in the 
affairs of the Church and the world. 

Followed by the affection of all who knew him 
he was, at the age of eighty-seven, gathered unto his 
fathers, having the testimony of a good conscience; 
in the communion of the catholic church; in the con- 
fidence of a certain faith, and in perfect charity with 
the world. 

1 A Commemoration of the Faithful, by Walter Thompson, D.D., 
1910. 



300 The History of St. Philip's Church 

VESTRYMEN. 

The senior Vestryman of the new parish was 
DANIEL HAIGHT (Warden 1800-7; 1808-16; Ves- 
tryman 1795-80; 1820-42), who was first elected to the 
Vestry of the United Churches in 1795, and served in one 
capacity or the other for forty-two years. He came of 
one of the oldest families in this part of the State, being 
descended from the Haights of Dorchester, England. 





^ 



The name is variously spelled, and in the tax records of 
Dutchess county for 1772 he appears as Daniel "Hyatt." 
Daniel was a general merchant and also the keeper of a 
famous tavern on the road between Peekskill and Fish- 
kill; it was a frequent house of call for General George 
Washington on his military journeys through the High- 
lands. Born on October 17th, 1753, he died September 
1st, 1842, and was interred in St. Philip's churchyard. 

HENRY CASIMIR de RHAM (1836-1847; 1864-74) 
was elected a Vestryman four years before the division 
of the parish and served for eleven years. Elected again 
in 1864, he rounded out twenty-one years' service. Born 
at Giez, near Yverdon, Switzerland, on July 17th, 1785, he 
was the son of Johann Wilhden de Rham, who married 
Anne, daughter of Sir James Kinloch, Bart., of Gilmerton, 
Scotland. Mr. de Rham came to America about 1806, 
and took to wife Maria Teresa, daughter of Dr. William 
Moore, brother of the second Bishop of the diocese of New 
York. He became one of the most respected and influen- 




HENRY CASIMIR de RHAM 
Vestryman, 1836-1847; 1864-1871. 



Wardens and Vestrymen of St. Philip's 301 

tial merchants and bankers in the city of New York, his 
first place of business being 79 Washington Street. His 
private residence was at 60 Greenwich Street, from which 
he moved to Park Place, and his country home was at 
the foot of Forty-second Street. Mr. de Rham was a true 
patriot. In 1813 Congress authorized a loan of sixteen 
million dollars to meet the expense of the war with Eng- 
land. The attempt to float the loan was a failure until 
a few merchants of New York, headed by Jacob Barker, 
opened a subscription list, to which Mr. de Rham sub- 
scribed $32,500. * In the year 1834 he purchased the 
property in the Highlands on which the Davenport farm 
formerly stood, and identified himself with St. Philip's. 
The de Rhams are the oldest family in continuous resi- 
dence in the parish, and the heads of the family for three 
successive generations have served on the Vestry. Mr. 
de Rham died in 1874 and was buried in the churchyard 
of St. Mark's in the Bowery, New York. 

RICHARD DEAN ARDEN (1840-57) the son of 
James Arden by his wife, Eliza Dean, was born in New 
York on the 12th of September, 1777. He came to live 
in the Highlands about 1819, and resided at "Ardenia," 
the homestead built but never occupied by William 
Henderson, a son-in-law of Mr. Denning, and there he 
spent the remainder of his long life. He was a fine 
specimen of a country gentleman of the old school, an 
excellent shot, an ardent sportsman, abstemious and 
given to hospitality. By his marriage on September 
17th, 1806, to Jane de Peyster, he became connected 
with one of the best known New York families. He was 

1 Barrett, Old Merchants of New York, p. 330. 



302 The History of St. Philip's Church 

a staunch supporter of the Church and the connection of 
the Ardens — father and son — with the Vestry of St. 
Philip's covered a period of nearly sixty years. He died 
at the ripe old age of eighty-eight on July 17th, 1865, and 
is buried in the family plot in the churchyard. 

CORNELIUS NELSON (1802; 1811-29; 1836-41) 
was a member of the Vestry for a quarter of a century. 
The fourth son of Justus, he was born February 25th, 
1758. He married Chloe, daughter of Nicholas Budd, 
and died January 3rd, 1841. He is buried in St. Philip's 
churchyard. 

JUSTUS NELSON, 2nd (1840-41), was a brother of 
Cornelius, and a son of Justus by his second wife, Phoebe 
Budd. He was born March 17th, 1780, and died Decem- 
ber 17th, 1851. 

CORNELIUS NELSON, JR. (1841-2), was a son of 
Mephiboseth Nelson, a member of the Vestry in 1812. 
He was born on Christmas Day, 1780, and on February 
26th, 1812, was married to Charity Jeacox by the Rev. 
John Urquhart, who thus records the marriage: 

Married on Wednesday the 26th Feby, 1812, before 
several witnesses at the house of Jeacox in the High- 
lands, Cornelius Nelson and Charity Jeacox. 

He served in the War of 1812 and rose to the rank of 
Lieutenant-Colonel in the Militia. About 1850 he 
removed from the parish and died at Scotch Plains, New 
Jersey, on November 25th, 1855. 

CYRUS GAY (1841-2) was a small farmer and lived 
in what is now the house now owned by Walter Turner 
at Forsonville. He is said to be buried at Putnam Valley. 




RICHARD DEAN ARDEN 

Vestryman, 1840-1857 



Wardens and Vestrymen of St. Philip's 303 

GEORGE HAIGHT (1842-44) was a son of Daniel 
and succeeded his father on the Vestry. He married 
Chloe, daughter of Elisha Covert. 

PETER BROSS (1842-44), confirmed in St. Philip's 
Church in 1847 by Bishop Onderdonk, was by trade a 
cooper, but, in the season, an expert shad-fisher. His 
workshop stood near the Hudson River and north of 
the Brook Kedron. 

SAMUEL MANGAN WARBURTON GOUVER- 
NEUR (1844-52; 1864-76) served on the Vestry for 
twenty years. He was a son of Samuel Gouverneur, 
first Warden of the parish, and a brother of Frederick 
Philipse. He was born on September 9th, 1807. A 
man of leisure, he devoted much time and money to the 
laying out of the churchyard after the erection of the new 
church, for which service he received the special thanks 
of the Vestry. Mr. Gouverneur died on December 21st, 
1876, and the Vestry thus expressed their sorrow at the 
death of their "friend and f ellow-officer :" 

We hereby express our heartfelt sense of the great 
loss we have sustained as a parish and community 
in the decease of one whose ever genial courtesy and 
considerate Christian character had endeared him 
through a long life of trust and responsibility to all 
ages and conditions about him. No one could be 
more missed from a region to whose interests he was 
bound by every tie of family, fortune and affection. 

CHRISTOPHER HAIGHT (1847), born March 16th, 
1776, married Sarah, daughter of Pheanas Nelson. He 
lived on the Philipse estate and died September 15th, 
1854, aged 78 years. He is buried in the churchyard. 



304 The History of St. Philip's Church 

ADOLPHUS NATHANIEL GOUVERNEUR 

(1852-3) was one of three brothers who, in addition to 
their father, served on the Vestry. He was the second 
son of Samuel Gouverneur and was born on September 
29th, 1805. He married Elizabeth Georgiana Gill, and 
died on the 28th day of August, 1853. 

JOHN HOPPER (1852-3) was confirmed in St. 
Philip's Church by Bishop Carlton Chase in 1852. He 
was by trade a shoemaker and lived near the river. He 
afterwards removed to a house on the Turnpike road, 
where he died. 

About the middle of the nineteenth century a group 
of new men began to settle in the Highlands. Most of 
them were strong Churchmen and they served the parish 
with great fidelity. The Livingstons settled here about 
1848, and four years later they were followed by RICH- 
ARD UPJOHN (1852-78). Shortly after came William 
H. Osborn, Hamilton Fish and Samuel Sloan. They 
came just in time to take up the work of the Gouver- 
neurs and the Moores. Born in 1802, Mr. Upjohn's 
mother was the daughter of the Rev. Richard Michell, 
Vicar of St. James, Shaftesbury, in the county of Dorset, 
England. He was a distinguished architect, and among 
the many noble and enduring monuments to his genius 
is Trinity Church, New York. On coming to Garrison 
he purchased the historic house of Jacob Mandeville 
at the "Four Corners," where the first Church services 
were held in 1770. He was the architect of the present 
parish church. Mr. Upjohn died on August 17th, 1878, 
in the seventy-seventh year of his age, greatly mourned 
by all his associates in parochial work. He rests under 



Wardens and Vestrymen of St. Philip's 305 

the shadow of the church he designed. On his death 
the Vestry adopted the following minute: 

We, the Rector, Wardens and Vestrymen of S. 
Philip's Church in the Highlands, place on record our 
high appreciation of his character and ability, and 
our sense of the great loss which the Church in gen- 
eral and ourselves particularly have sustained in his 
decease. His long residence and warm interest in our 
parish (the present church of which was designed by 
him as a labor of love) and the marked consistency 
of his Christian life and example, demand this tribute 
of affection to our departed brother, as well as our 
unfeigned gratitude unto Almighty God. 

WILLIAM DOMINICK GARRISON (1863-4; 
1868-9), a grandson of Harry, and the eighth child of 
Judge John Garrison, was born at the Highland House on 
September 10th, 1838. With his election to the Vestry 
in 1863, father, son and grandson had sat on the Vestry 
for eighty-nine years. For three years William D. kept 
a country store in the parish, and for a time was a farmer 
at Plainfield, N. J., where he married on February 10th, 
1863, Emma Louise Taylor. In 1866, with his brother 
George, he opened the far famed " Highland House,'' where 
the late Bishop Henry Codman Potter for some years 
brought his candidates for their pre-ordination retreat. 
Mr. Garrison afterward became one of the best known 
hotel men in the city of New York. He died on Decem- 
ber 6th, 1892, and is buried in the churchyard. 

GEORGE MILLER (1863-4), a member of the Vestry 
representing St. James' Chapel, was the son of Justus 
and Susan Miller of Highland Falls. He settled at High- 
land Station, now Manitou, as a farmer and for several 



306 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

years was Sexton of the Chapel. His first wife was Au- 
gusta Nelson; his second, Eliza I. Lounsberry. He died 
on the 24th of December, 1902, and was interred in the 
Hillside Cemetery, Peekskill. 

NATHANIEL F. MOORE, LL.D., D. C. L. (1865-72) 
was a brother of William Moore, and a notable figure in 
the academic world. Born on Christmas Day, 1782, he 
was a son of Dr. William Moore, for forty years one of 
the leading physicians in the City of New York. Mr. 
Moore graduated from Columbia in 1802, and studied 
law in the office of Beverly Robinson, a grandson of the 
first Warden of this parish. He was admitted to the Bar 
in 1805. Twelve years later he became adjunct Profes- 
sor of Greek and Latin at Columbia, and from 1842 to 
1849 he served as president of the college. 1 The years 
of his retirement he spent in this parish, of which he was 
a devoted communicant and a generous helper. He died 
at the "Highland Grange" on the 27th day of April, 1872, 
in his ninetieth year, and was buried in the churchyard 
of St. Mark's in the Bowery, New York. On the occa- 
sion of his death the following minute was entered upon 
the records of the Vestry: 

Forasmuch as it hath pleased Almighty God to take 
out of this world the soul of our deceased eminent 
brother, Nathaniel F. Moore, LL. D. 

Resolved: That in the departure of this venerable 
and learned man our Church of which he was for 
many years a Communicant, has met with a great loss 
worthy of continued remembrance. 

1 A Memorial Discourse of Nathaniel Fish Moore, LL. D., by 
Rev. B. I. Haight, S.T.D., LL.D., 1874. 



Wardens and Vestrymen of St. Philips 307 

Resolved: That we hereby record our thanks to 
God and honor to Dr. Moore's memory in calling 
up numerous Christian acts of his life thereby 
affording in so eminent a degree a suggestive example 
to the world. 

GEORGE E. MOORE (1865-7) resided but a few 
years in the parish, living in what is now the Allen home- 
stead, which he built. He was a man of frail health, 
and for that reason came to the Highlands from New 
York. An artist of no mean ability, he executed the 
pencil drawing of the old Church which is reproduced 
in this volume. He died at Garrison on July 24th, 1867, 
in the thirty-fourth year of his age and rests in Greenwood 
Cemetery. 

GENERAL JAMES F. HALL (1867-77), who was 
born in New York City February 1st, 1822, came to re- 
side in the Highlands in later life because of its proximity 
to West Point where he had many military friends. 
Although engaged in business as a music publisher, he 
took a deep interest in military affairs, serving on the 
staff of his father, General William E. Hall, who com- 
manded the second Brigade of the New York National 
Guard. At the outbreak of the Civil War he was largely 
instrumental in raising the 1st New York Volunteer 
Engineers, which was mustered into service on October 
10th, 1861, and of which he was gazetted Major. Much 
active service fell to his lot. He took part in the capture 
of Port Royal, Fort Pulaski, Morris Island, and the rights 
of Pocotalico and Olustee. He was with Sherman in the 
operations against Savannah and Charleston and served 
under Grant in the closing scenes of the War. In these 
numerous engagements Mr. Hall was distinguished for 



308 The History of St. Philip's Church 

great personal bravery, and was several times mentioned 
in dispatches. For "gallant and meritorious conduct" 
before Fort Sumter he was awarded a medal. Early in 
1864 he became Brigadier-General, which rank was 
afterwards confirmed by the United States Senate. 

His eldest son, William E. Hall, served as a Lieutenant 
on General Gilmore's staff, and his father, General Wil- 
liam E. Hall, was also in the service for a short time, so 
that three generations were at the front during the Civil 
War. At the close of the rebellion he entered the cus- 
toms service, and was Assistant Appraiser, Port of New 
York. Removing to Tarry town about 1877 he became 
a Vestryman of Christ Church, died on January 9th, 
1884, and was interred in the family vault in Greenwood 
Cemetery. On the death of his wife in 1903, his body 
was removed to Sleepy Hollow Cemetery, where it now 
rests. 

WILLIAM S. LIVINGSTON (1875-91) came of 
Scotch ancestors, who were driven from Scotland by 
religious persecution and took refuge in Holland, from 
which country later descendants emigrated to America. 
He was a son of Francis Armstrong Livingston and was 
born in Rhinebeck on the 10th of January, 1823. He 
married on November 13th, 1847, Susan Livingston 
Armstrong of Trenton, N. J., and his second wife, whom 
he married on the 28th of March, 1889, was Emily 
Augusta Green, widow of William Blackwell. Settling 
in Garrison in the year 1848, he served on the Vestry 
for sixteen years, and dying in New York on December 
30th, 1891, was buried in St. Philip's churchyard. 

Although WILLIAM HENRY OSBORN (1877-8) 
only served on the Vestry for one year he was a steadfast 



Wardens and Vestrymen of St. Philip *s 309 

friend of the parish. He was born of New England par- 
entage at Salem, Massachusetts, on December 21st, 1820, 
Eight fruitful years were spent at Manila, in the Philip- 
pine Islands, as a partner in an East India firm. Re- 
turning to New York about 1850, he married two years 
later Virginia, daughter of Jonathan Sturges, one of the 
leading merchants and philanthropists of New York City. 
On August 11th, 1854, Mr. Osborn was elected a Director 
of the Illinois Central Railroad, and filled that office for 
twenty-three years. On December 1st, 1855, he became 
president of the company and retained that office until 
July 11th, 1865. He continued as a director until 1877. 
In one capacity or the other he was a commanding in- 
fluence in the Illinois Central for nearly thirty years. 
His management was "characterized by prudence and 
consideration, remarkable skill and executive ability, 
firm and unceasing devotion to the interest of the com- 
pany, indomitable will and courage, and above all, strict 
integrity of purpose." 1 In 1857 Mr. Osborn became a 
resident landowner in Garrison, and from that time until 
his death was actively interested in the welfare of the 
community, being in all his service aided by his wife, to 
whose cherished memory a beautiful memorial altar now 
stands in the church. He died on March 2nd, 1894, aged 
seventy-four, and is buried in the churchyard. 

FRANCIS ARMSTRONG LIVINGSTON (1880-5) 
was born on July 2nd, 1824, and, with his brother, Wil- 
liam, settled in Garrison about 1848. On the 8th of 
October, 1848, he was married in the Church of the 

1 Historical sketch Illinois Central Railroad. W. K. Ackerman, 
pp. 62-8. 



310 The History of St. Philip's Church 

Ascension, New York, to Sarah Jane, daughter of Richard 
Dean Arden. In 1860 he came into possession of the 
riverside section of the South Farm where he resided 
until his death, which took place on Thursday, November 
29th, 1894. He is buried in St. Philip's Churchyard. 

JOHN M. TOUCEY (1890-1898) was a man of con- 
siderable prominence in the railroad world, winning his 
way from the position of brakeman to that of general 
manager of the New York Central system. For six 
years he served as Treasurer of the parish. In 1895 he 
presented to the church a fine two-manual organ "in 
filial devotion to the memory of Harriet Toucey and 
Emeline Butler Atwater," and only five days before his 
death he conveyed $5,000 in trust for its maintenance. 
He died on September 26th, 1898. 

JOHN H. ISELIN (1890-3) served on the Vestry for 
three years. The son of John A. Iselin, he was born in 
the city of New York on September 15th, 1843. He 
came to reside in the Highlands through his marriage to 
Mary, daughter of Adolphus Nathaniel Gouverneur. 
He died at "Eagles Rest" on the 13th of July, 1895, and 
was buried in St. Philip's churchyard. 



CHAPTER XI. 

THE GLEBE FARM. 

WHEN the Rev. John Doty was called as the 
first Rector of the United Churches in 1770, 
the problem of his support was a very mater- 
ial one. There were no parochial endowments and no 
pew rents. The parish adopted what was then — outside 
of Virginia — the general custom of subscriptions, to 
which was added a parsonage house and glebe. This 
afforded a permanent abode for the Rectors and some 
additional income from the land. 

That from the outset the Vestry had in mind the ac- 
quisition of a glebe farm is evidenced in an extract from 
a letter addressed to the Society for the Propagation of the 
Gospel in the year 1770. The letter, which is signed by the 
Wardens, says, " We can assure the Venerable Society that 
from the generous offer of Mr. Beverly Robinson, we have 
the hopes of a very good glebe provided within the year." 1 

An unknown writer of 1813 tells us that "The late 
Beverly Robinson Esq., having a wish to make the Es- 
tablishment permanent, took Mr. Doty and his wife into 
his own family until a Parsonage House and a Glebe 
could be furnished for a settled clergyman, and Mr. 
Robinson made a present to the Corporation of a farm 
of land lying on the then Post Road, and belonging to his 
estate, containing upwards of two hundred acres, and, 

1 Hawk's Fulham Archives. 



312 The History of St. Philip's Church 

with the aid of a subscription, built a good house thereon, 
to which Mr. Doty removed." 1 

The glebe farm was the nearest land in Beverly Rob- 
inson's possession to St. Peter's Church, on the manor of 
Cortlandt. It contained some two hundred acres, lying 
on both sides of the King's Highway, now known as the 
Albany Post Road, in what was the southeasterly corner 
of Beverly Robinson's Water Lot, Number One, and in 
what is the southeasterly corner of Philipstown in Put- 
nam County. Its southerly boundary ran for a mile 
along the line which separated the Philipse Patent from 
the Manor of Cortlandt, which line now divides Putnam 
County from Westchester, and extended two chains to the 
westward of Canopus or Sprout's Creek. 

The Catskill Aqueduct, now being built by the City of 
New York, crosses the line between Westchester and 
Putnam Counties at a point four and one-half miles to the 
eastward of the Hudson River, on land adjoining the 
easterly bounds of the glebe. 

The Wardens and Vestrymen of St. Peter's, Peekskill 
and St. Philip's Chapel in the Highlands, sold at auction 
and conveyed the glebe farm to David McCoy on April 
1st, 1839, for $5,001. Mr. McCoy died on February 
27th, 1872. Through a partition suit, the property 
passed, March 17th, 1890, to his son, Nelson McCoy, 
who, having mortgaged it to William L. Todd to secure 
a loan of $1,600, died March 14th, 1896. On the first of 
November following Mr. Todd began proceedings to 
foreclose and, being put in possession by a referee's deed, 
dated April 13th, 1897, conveyed the property to Smith 

1 Hobart MSS. 



The Glebe Farm 313 

Lent on May 1st, 1897. The title has since passed in 
succession to the Fidelity & Deposit Company of Mary- 
land, to Warren S. Jordan, to Cornelius J. Curtin and at 
last accounts was vested in Lowell M. Palmer. Most 
of the land lies on the westerly slope of Cat Hill and 
commands a fine view of a rugged wooded country. 
"The McCoy House" is the most southerly building 
on the Post Road in Putnam County, and stands on 
the west side of that road a short distance north of the 
fifty-one mile stone from New York. 1 The parsonage, 
therefore, was about one mile and a half to the north of 
old St. Peter's Church, and about six miles to the south- 
east of St. Philip's, between which a highway (the old 
Peekskill-West Point road) had been opened before the 
Revolutionary War. Immediately to the north of the 
glebe, but in the valley of Sprout's Creek, lay the Conti- 
nental Village, which became, during that War, an im- 
portant strategic point and depot of supplies for the Con- 
tinental Army. It is repeatedly referred to by Major- 
General William Heath in his Memoirs as "the village." 

Singularly enough the name "Glebe Farm" has per- 
sisted until very recently in all the conveyances, although 
it is more than a century since any of the Rectors have 
lived thereon. So also the county maps as lately as 1867 
describe the farm as "The Parsonage." 

At the time the glebe was given to the parish it was in 
the possession of Ebenezer Jones, from whom the Vestry 
purchased the "improvements." The land secured, the 
Vestry set about the erection of a parsonage, and at the 

1 Since writing the above the "McCoy House" has been destroyed 
by fire. 



314 The History of St. Philip' s C hurch 

meeting of March 23rd, 1772, it was "unanimously agreed 
to go and build Mr. Doty a house." It was also "agreed 
with Jerediah Frost to git the timber, draw the same the 
boards and other Meteralls which he may want for the 
said house. To do all the Carpenters and Joyners work 
and paint and glaze the same for Seventy five pounds." 

The house was locally known as "the yellow house." 
In July it was "Ordere that Mr Dan Birdsall Call upon 
those persons for the money they have Prom to give 
Towards Building M r Doty's house and to account for 
the same when Required thirto." Three months later, 
at a Vestry meeting, "it was unanimously resolved to 
Build a Citchen and Piazor adjoining to Mr Doty's house 
on the North side, and the following persons say Dan 
Birdsall, John Johnson, Joshua Nelson, David Penoyer 
and Caleb Morgan have agreed with Jerediah Frost and 
David Penoyer to Do the carpenter work and have each 
of them promised there payment." The work was evi- 
dently somewhat delayed for the following July it was 
" ordered that Dan Birdsall Do Employ a person to finish 
the Piazor of Mr Dotys house." 

Scarcely was the parsonage house complete and the 
Rector settled therein when trouble began, evidenced by 
a document in the author's possession in the handwriting 
of Colonel Beverly Robinson, senior Warden of the 
parish. It runs as follows: 

ADVERTISEMENT. 

To Be Sold at Publick Vandue on Saturday y e 
Seventeenth day of December next at the house of 
John Mandivell in Peekskill to the highest Bidder, 
A farm in Dutchess County adjacent to the Mannor 



j?dv&r&m£/n£ 






*/£?£&,?)/ <«A f ,<.„, y) <ff*J* // *&/?* X>/y /?Y'Sy/s<"S t +**&*>* **£ *<>' 

C ,*/><„* i /£« '«/*„ i/£) /a rrn <> <■', ,*,™<^ 'SLt<*'#*+*9 £+**& ™* ^vy 
&*7x £l/£~/io<> KrmrmS fr a 4z,y fci£y 6*/<n>. ) n ^> s£tm< o-tnrmJ *^ **» 

&T&J *£+*>* , /<,e /,/<?< t/<,t /*>., rfftrvir,. t</, a <L^X*tf<'7$A r,* '^"j^? 

/6 %o-*c4* fr a «< / /"£ ,i,, i ^ fi /,} rrt± f eJtet a a*+*\ 6* * r*,<y &ffi* S< &r* A^^S; 

**£$t/ <£,//< tttn /X) s<>*/4a„ ;7^;j/ A sjj£<fr A A// ? c *j1&. /~2'< J '" 












? 



ANNOUNCEMENT OF VANDUE OF GLEBE FARM 

1774 



The Glebe Farm 315 

of Cortlandt whereon y e Rev d Mr. John Doty lately 
lived containing two hundred and two Acres of land, 
great part of which is cleared & fitt for Croping; 
there is on said land a very good Dwelling house two 
story high with two rooms & a large Entry below, and 
three rooms and an Entry above, fire places in four 
of y e rooms, and a good Kitchen Joining the house & a 
well near y e same, also a good bearing Apple Orchard; 

The Conditions of sale are as follows: The pos- 
session of the premises will be delivered on the first 
day of April next when a good & Sufficient Deed with 
an indisputable title will be given by y e Subscriber, for 
and on consideration of one third of purchase money 
being paid at that time, one other third to be paid on 
or before y e first day of December, 1775, & the other 
third on or before the first day of December, 1776, 
Bond & Mortgage on y e premises to be given as secur- 
ity for the two last payments. If the highest bidder to 
whom the farm is struck off too does not comply with 
these conditions, the said farm is to be sett up again 
on the said first day of April next, and if it should sell 
for more than it was struck off to him for, he is to 
have no advantage from y e second sale, but if it should 
sell for less, he must make up the deficiency. 

Any person inclinible to View y e said farm before 
y e Day of Sale may be showed the same by Applying 
to Daniel Haight living on the premises, or by Syl- 
vanus Haight at my Mills near the same. 

The Vandue to begin at Eleven O Clock in the 
forenoon of the day above Mentioned. 

Highlands Oct 28th, 1774. 

Bev. Robinson. 

Unquestionably this notice of sale refers to the parochial 
glebe farm. We know from other reliable sources that 
the property, whilst given, had not been legally conveyed 
to the Corporation. Technically, therefore, it was still 



316 The History of St. Philip 9 s C hurch 

the property of Robinson. When we call to mind the 
events of the day it is not difficult to conjecture a reason 
for this step. The political difficulties with England 
were becoming acute; the Rector had moved away from 
the parish and presumably the two churches were closed. 
It will be remembered that the glebe was given on con- 
dition that "the Vestry purchased the improvements and 
built a Parsonage House thereon." At the date of the 
Vandue those conditions had not been complied with and 
the money had been advanced by Daniel Birdsall. It is 
reasonable to conjecture that Mr. Robinson's motive in 
announcing the sale was to induce the Vestry either to 
meet their obligations and secure title to the property or 
else to abandon their claim. This conjecture is strength- 
ened by three affidavits, made some years later, and which 
have recently been discovered amongst the Van Cort- 
landt family papers. They are as follows: 

Westchester Personally appeared before me Elijah Lee one 
County. of the Justices of the Peace in and for the said 

County Daniel Birdsall and being Duly 
Sworn Deposeth and Saith that Beverly 
Roberson and Susannah Roberson (his Wife) 
objections for not given a Deed for the Par- 
sonage belonging to the United Episcopal 
Churches of St. Peter's Church at Peeks Kill 
and St. Phillip's Chappel in the Highlands; 
was* that the Congregations was indebted to 
the Said Daniel Birdsall and that they was 
willing at any time to give a title whenever 
the Incumbrances was Discharged from 
said Glebe. 

Peeks Kill Febr 16th, 1792. 

Dan LL Birdsall 
Elijah Lee Justice of the Peace. 







3 ^ * 



^ ^ ^ 



... 9 % 








Ml 




O 

^ C5 

Ph 
W 

u 

o 



The Glebe Farm 



317 



Westchester Personally appeared before me Elijah Lee 
County. one of the Justises of the peace in and for 

the Said County Joshua Nelson and being 
Duly Sworn Deposeth and Saith that 
Beverly Roberson and Susannah Robber- 
sons (his wife) objections for not given a 
deed for the Parsonage belonging to the 
United Episcopal Churches St. Peter's 
Church at Peeks Kill and St. Phillips Chap- 
pel in the highlands; was, that the Congre- 
gations was indebted to Daniel Birdsall and 
that I have Repeatedly heard them say 
that they would give a title whenever the 
Incumbrances was Discharged from Said 
Gleebe. 

Peeksk Kill Febry 16th, 1792. 

Joshua Nelson. 
Elijah Lee Justise of the Peace. 

Westchester Personally appeared before me Elijah Lee 
County. Justice of the Peace in and for the Said 

County Silvanus Haight and being Duly 
Sworn Deposeth and Saith that he was one 
of the Chain Bearers on a Survey of the 
Parsonage belonging to the United Episcopal 
Churches Sa* Peters Church at Peeks Kill 
and S* Phillips Chappel in the highlands 
and at a place of Resting I heard Beverly 
Roberson Esq r Say as soon as the Congre- 
gations Cleared of the Incumbrances on 
Said Gleeb he was ready and willing to give 
a deed for the Same. 

Peeks Kill Feby 16th, 1792. 

Silvanus haight. 
Elijah Lee, Justice of the Peace. 

The aforesaid testimony was given by men who were 
thoroughly familiar with the facts. All were members of 



318 The History of St. P hilip 9 s C hur ch 

the Vestry at the time they made the affidavits, and 
Joshua Nelson and Daniel Birdsall had been on the Ves- 
try when the glebe was originally given. Their united tes- 
timony makes it perfectly clear that there was no disposi- 
tion on the part of Beverly Robinson to withdraw his gift, 
but that on fulfillment of the conditions freely accepted 
by the Vestry, he stood ready to make a legal transfer 
of the property. Whether the vandue actually took 
place history sayeth not, but there is ample evidence that 
the farm remained in possession of the Vestry "until the 
service of the country demanded them to yield the same 
for public use." The unknown writer of 1813 says "The 
grantor having delayed executing a Deed, this farm, with 
the whole of Mr. and Mrs. Robinson's estate, became 
vested in the People of the State of New York." 1 

Before, however, the glebe passed into the hands of the 
Commissioners of Forfeiture the parish made a serious 
effort to raise the money necessary to clear the "In- 
cumbrances" and secure title. Amongst the Van Cort- 
landt papers there has recently been discovered the 
original Statement and Appeal which was issued for that 
purpose, and, by the courtesy of Miss Van Cortlandt, 
we are enabled to reproduce it : 

Whearas the Inhabitants on the Manor of Cort- 
landt have at great Expence Built a Church near 
Peeks Kill called S. Peter's Church, And the Inhab- 
itants of Philip's Patent have also at great Expence 
built another Church in the Highlands called S. 
Philip's Chaple, both on the Establishment of the 
Church of England, And whearas the Inhabitants of 
both places are in general very poor and have Exerted 

1 Hobart MSS. 













<?" 






1 



i*~. 



AFFIDAVITS CONCERNING THE GLEBE FARM, 1792 



The Glebe Farm 



319 



themselves to the utmost of their abilities in building 
the said Churches, and therefore unable to purchase 
a Glebe & to build a house for a minister to officiate 
at said Churches Therefore this Subscription is put 
on foot Humbly requesting the Assistance of all 
Benevolent and well disposed persons to Enable 
them to purchase a farm and Build a house to remain 
as a Glebe for the use of the said Churches for ever; 
We the Subscribers hereto in Order to assist so Char- 
itable & Religious a design, do hereby promise & 
Oblige ourselves to pay or Cause to be paid unto 
Capt n Jeremiah Drake the Several Sums Affixed to 
our Names on or before the first Day of November 
Next. As Witness our hands this 12th Day of 
April, 1774. 



Daniel Hatfield 


0. 


10. 





I Promise Pay Teen Pond 
for the Farm if cleared 
Paid for ysue of Church. 




Thomas Pen 


0. 


6. 





Jeremiah Drake 10. 


0. 


0. 


Dennis Kennedy 





10 





Dan 11 Birdsall 


10 


0. 


0. 


If in the Country the 






Caleb Ward 


5. 


0. 


0. 


4th of Nov. I promise to 














pay — Jos. Lyman 





8. 


0. 


Peter Drake 


3. 


0. 


0. 


John Hussey 


0. 


8. 


0. 


Robert Galer 


2. 


0. 


0. 


John Ogden 


0. 


4. 





Elezaor Read 


0. 


9. 


0. 


Joseph Strang Jr 





8. 





Abraham Mabe 


1. 


0. 





Jacob Huchins 


0. 


8. 





Caleb Morgan 


2. 


0. 





John McCoy 


0. 


9. 





Peter Muggiford 


3. 


0. 


0. 


Daniel Strang 


0. 


10. 


0. 


Silvanus Hyatt 


0. 


10. 





Roger Barten 


0. 


4. 





John Mandevill 


0. 


10. 


0. 


Roger Bissell 


2. 


0. 


0. 


Gilbert Lockwood 





10 





Andveis Miller 


0. 


8. 


0. 


Peter Corne(y) 


5. 


0. 


0. 


Peter Miller 


0. 


8. 


0. 


John Jones 


1. 


0. 


0. 


Jas. Hatfield Jr 


0. 


15. 





Isaac Poyner 


0. 


8. 


0. 


Walter Dobbs Jr 


0. 


8. 





Joseph Legroot 


0. 


6. 


0. 


Isaac Hatfield 


0. 


8. 


0. 











320 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

And over the leaf of the subscription paper is this note: 

Nov. 4th, 1774 henry purdy promised Daniel 
Birdsall that he Would pay 40 shillings if the Money 
could be made up or the Affair of the Glebe any 
Way Settled. 

This interesting document, nearly a century and a half 
old, is of surpassing historic interest. The appeal is in 
the handwriting of Colonel Beverly Robinson, and it con- 
tains the autographs of Jeremiah Drake, his co-warden, 
Daniel Birdsall, Peter Drake, Peter Corney and Caleb 
Ward, Vestrymen of that year, as well as Caleb Morgan, 
also a Vestryman at an early period. On the day of its 
issue — April 12th, 1774 — there was held a meeting of the 
Vestry at which there were present : 

Capt. Jeremiah Drake, Warden 

Caleb Ward 

Joshua Nelson 

Peter Drake 

Dan 11 Birdsall Vestry 

Before the meeting Beverly Robinson had doubtless 
drawn up two copies of the Statement and Appeal, one 
for Peekskill and one for the Highlands, and, as he could 
not attend, had sent them to the meeting in charge of 
Joshua Nelson, who was one of his tenants. It was 
adopted by the Vestry, and the subscription list opened 
by Jeremiah Drake for ten pounds, followed by Daniel 
Birdsall for a like sum, Caleb Ward for five and Peter 
Drake for two pounds. Peter Corney, not present at 
the meeting, added later five pounds. 

It will be observed that no names from the Highlands 
appear upon this document. A separate list was circu- 



WT 



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£>6 



&*,* 






'&^*n*sGi'-.^ ' a - '% 



&%, wojs^* M 4^^^^ • 4 ^^ & *$4 






'T?fr.- 









,s,i/r ,^-r r/r V: -f v >. 



/^ tf i- 



ii 



'Mjfe 6rix* -*' ; S • .&?*■■ ht(A 



A PAROCHIAL APPEAL AND SUBSCRIPTION LIST 
1774 



The Glebe Farm 321 

lated for that section of the parish, which, unhappily, 
has not come to light. 

The list thus started by members of the Vestry, pro- 
vision for a thorough parochial canvas was made in the 
following resolution: 

Unanimously agreed that Peter Drake is appointed 
to go about amongst the Inhabitants on the manor 
of Cortlandt, and Joshua Nelson amongst the Inhab- 
itants of Philips Pattent and whatever they get by 
Way of Subscriptions, its agree d that they shall receive 
for there Trouble 7 p r C* each; it is further agreed 
that Caleb Morgan assist the said Peter Drake in 
regard to the Subscriptions and that Beverly Robin- 
son assist said Nelson. 

The total sum promised for the manor of Cortlandt 
was £56.15.0 as compared with the parochial indebted- 
ness to Daniel Birdsall of £260. Some additional light 
has been shed on the early history of the glebe farm by 
the discovery of an important letter, dated September 
10th, 1795, written to the Rev. Mr. Hargill by William 
Denning. He writes: 

Mr Robinson to promote the establishment gave 
the Corporation a farm of about 200 acres on con- 
dition that they purchased the improvements and 
built a house for the Rector. The improvements 
were built purchased, the house built and the Rector 
moved into it. This involved a debt of between three 
and four hundred pounds with which the Corporation 
was incumbered when the War began, and the farm 
was not to be granted until the debt was paid . 
. For the destruction of the timbers and fences at 
the Parsonage house a sum has been received suffi- 
cient to clear the Corporation of the debt incurred 



322 The History of St. Philip 9 s C hurch 



as above mentioned, which enabled the Corporation 
to apply to the Legislature for and obtain a grant of 
the farm, agreeable to the original conditions. 1 

When the estate of Beverly Robinson was confiscated, 
the glebe farm, not having been deeded to the parish, 
was included, and passed to the People of the State of 
New York. Influence must have been brought to bear 
on the Legislature, for a special act was passed restraining 
the Commissioners from including the glebe in the 
general sale of the Robinson property. It was passed 
25th July, 1782, 2 and the final (fifth) section read as fol- 
lows: 



"V. AND WHEREAS, the War- 
dens and Vestry of the two Churches 
at the HIGH-LANDS and PEEKS- 
KILL, with sundry Inhabitants of 
CORTLANDT'S Manor, by their 
Memorial presented to the Legisla- 
ture of this State, represented, That 
in the Year One Thousand Seven 
Hundred and Seventy-two, BEVER- 
LY ROBINSON and SUSANNAH, 
his Wife, tendered to convey to the 
said Wardens and Vestry, the Farm 
then in Possession of EBENEZER 
JONES, near Continental Village, 
containing two Hundred Acres, for 
the Purpose of a Parsonage and 
Glebe: That the Memorialists, in 
Consequence of such Tender, pur- 
chased the Improvements of the said 



1 Letter of William Denning preserved in the Archives of the Cor- 
poration of Trinity Church. 

2 Laws of State of New York, Vol. I, p. 789. 



Preamble, 
Setting 
forth 
the Pe- 
tition of 
Wardens and 
Vestry, &c. 
of two 
Churches, 
for a 

House and 
Farm at 
Peek's-Kill. 



The Glebe Farm 



323 



EBENEZER JONES, and proceed- 
ed to build the House now on said 
Farm, called the YELLOW-HOUSE; 
that they were in Possession of the 
said Farm and House, until the Ser- 
vice of the Country demanded them 
to yield the same for public use; BE 
Said House IT ENACTED BY THE AUTHOR- 
and Farm not ITY AFORESAID, That it shall not 
to be dis- be lawful for the Commissioners of 

posed of Forfeitures, of the Middle District 

til further of this State, to sell or dispose of the 

Order of the said House and Farm; nor the Corn- 
Legislature, missioners of Sequestration to let or 
demise the same, until the Legisla- 
ture shall specially order the same; 
and that the said Wardens and Ves- 
try shall and may occupy, possess, 
and enjoy the said Premises until 
such further Order shall be made." 

The first Vestry meeting after the War of the Revolu- 
tion was held on Easter Monday, April 5th, 1790. After 
the election of Wardens and Vestrymen steps were taken 
to piece together the broken threads of parochial life. 
In 1784 the Legislature of the State of New York passed 
an "Act to enable all the Religious denominations in the 
State to appoint Trustees who shall be a Body Corpo- 
rate for the purpose of taking care of the temporalities 
of their respective congregations and other purposes." 
Availing themselves of this provision St. Peter's and St. 
Philip's became a corporation on the 22nd of December, 
1791. 

Duly incorporated, and provided with a minister, the 
necessity of securing a legal title to the glebe and parson- 



324 The History of St, Philip 9 s Chur ch 

age was apparent, and the Vestry set itself to the task of 
paying off the incumbrances. At a meeting held on 
March 31st, 1792, they 

Then did Examine the Acct s of Mr Dan 1 Birdsall 
and find Due to him Exclusive of his Improvements 
on the Gleb Farm to amount to £257-9-5 & Did Ap- 
point John Jones and Isaac Devenport to Inspect and 
Judge the Improvements that the said Dan 1 Birdsall 
have put upon the gleb. 

On the 7th day of April the committee reported that 
"they have brought in the sum of twenty -four pounds, 
ten shillings for James Croft and two pounds ten shillings 
for Dan 1 Birdsall." The Vestry proceeded at once to 
liquidate these amounts, and their so doing is thus re- 
corded in the minutes: 

At a Special Meeting of the Wardens and Vestry- 
men of Prot. Epis. Church on the manor of Cortlandt 
Near Peeks Kill the 18th March, 1793 
Present, the rev d Mr Andrew Fowler 

Mr Caleb Ward Warden 

Caleb Morgan 

Salvenus Haight 

Isaac Devenport 

Jarvis Dusenbury Vestrymen 
Proceeded to business, and a Settlement being made 
with Mr Dan 1 Birdsall, he gave the Vestry the 
Following receit in full to the Present Day — Viz 

Peeks Kill in Cortlandt Town, 
the 18th March 1793, then received of the 
Church Wardens and Vestrymen of the prot- 
estant Episcopal Church in Cortlandt Town, 
the Sum of two Hundred and Eighty Four 
pounds nine shillings and five pence, that 
is to say, two Hundred and fifty seven 



The Glebe Farm 325 

pounds nine shillings and five exclusive 
of my Improvements and also twenty four 
pounds ten shillings for James Crofts 
improvements, and two pounds ten shillings 
for my own improvements; In full of all 
Debts, Dues, or Demands of what name or 
Nature soever, upon the Glebe belonging 
to the Churches aforesaid, & moreover I 
Do hereby give up all Right title or 
Claime that I may have upon the same, 
on account of any Dues I may have therefrom 

Rec d by me 

Dan 1 Birdsall 
Attested by me 

Andrew Fowler. 

At last the parish had fully complied with the con- 
ditions laid down by the donor twenty years before, and 
a petition was prepared and presented to the Legislature 
praying for "a grant to the full extent of the first grant 
or intention." 

An unexpected difficulty intervened. * ' Some members 
of the Presbyterian congregation entered a claim on the 
ground that the gift was intended for both denominations, 
and the grant was not obtained." 1 This claim had no 
foundation in fact; all the records show that it was a 
gift for the United Churches at Peekskill and in the 
Highlands. The parish had influential friends at Albany. 
The Lieutenant-Governor and presiding officer of the 
Senate was Pierre Van Cortlandt, a communicant of St. 
Peter's, and the senior Warden of the parish was a mem- 
ber of the lower House, and on March 27th, 1794, the 
property was restored to the parish. 

The Act is as follows: 

1 HobartMSS. 



326 The History of St. Philip's Church 

An Act for granting a certain glebe to the United 
Churches of St. Peter and St. Philips, passed 27th of 
March, 1794 — Whereas the Commissioners of Forfeit- 
ure were by law inhibited from selling the Parsonage 
and Glebe near the Continentalville Village, formerly 
in the possession of Ebenezer Jones; and whereas the 
said Glebe was vested in the People of this State by 
the attainder of Beverly Robinson, late of the County 
of Dutchess, who in his lifetime promised to convey 
the same to the use of the Rector, Wardens and 
Vestrymen of the United Episcopal Congregations of 
St. Peter's Church, now in the Town of Cortlandt, in 
the County of Westchester, and St. Philip's Chapel, 
in Philipstown, in County of Dutchess: Theref ore- 
Be it Enacted by the People of the State of New York 
represented in Senate and Assembly and it is hereby 
enacted by the authority of the same, that all the 
right, title and interest of the People of this State in 
and to the Glebe shall be and hereby is granted to the 
Trustees of the United Protestant Episcopal Churches 
of St. Peter's Church, in Town of Cortlandt, and 
County of Westchester, and St. Philip's Chapel, in 
Philipstown, in County of Dutchess, and their suc- 
cessors forever in trust for the use of the said united 
congregations. 

At the next Vestry meeting it was resolved: 

That the thanks of this Vestry be given to Pierre 
Van Cortlandt Esq. for the great pains he has taken 
at the Legislature of this State to obtain a Title for 
the Glebe belonging to these Churches. 

The Rev. Andrew Fowler was the first occupant of the 
restored Parsonage House which the Vestry agreed to 
repair "as far as the funds of the Church would allow." 
In 1793 it was resolved — "That a Barn shall be built on 



The Glebe Farm 327 

the Glebe, consisting of 22 feet in length and 20 in bredth 
this summer. Voted that 200 white pine boards shall be 
immediately purchased to repair the house on the Glebe." 
A few weeks later at a special meeting, "The Rev d M r 
Fowler acquainted the Vestry the reson of his Calling 
them together at this time wars to hasten the repairs 
of the house." 

On the 4th day of January, 1794, the Vestry 

After due Examination of the several accounts re- 
specting repairing the house on the Parsonage and 
building the Barn — found them standing as follows, 
viz. 

Due Mr. Smith Jones for Labour £38. 7. 8. 

Due Mr. Fowler for boarding the 

labourers 
Due Mr. Jarvis Dusenbury for sundries 
Due Mr. Saml. Jefferts for timber 
Due Mr. Thomas Dupree for labour 

Total sum due 

On April 21st the Vestry 

Did then settle with Mr. Jarvis Dusenbury and 
Recv d the sum of £74-14-10 including the several 
sums before mentioned for the repairs of the house. 

From 1792 to 1840 the glebe figures largely in the min- 
utes of the Vestry. When, as was so frequently the case, 
there was no Rector the farm was rented by the year. 
The first tenant was Daniel Haight in 1774. When the 
parochial records resume in 1791 we find the farm in the 
occupancy of James Croft and Daniel Birdsall, and in 
March of the following year the Vestry "did appoint 
John Jones and Isaac Davenport to Inspect and Judge 



11. 


15. 


8. 


20. 


4. 


1. 


1. 


10. 


0. 




7. 


6. 


£72- 


- 4- 


-11 



328 The History of St. Philip 9 s C hurch 

the Improvements that the said Dan Birdsall have put 
on the Glebe." This committee "brought in the sum of 
twenty four pounds, ten shillings for James Croft, and 
two pounds, ten shillings for Danl. Birdsall." 

In 1795 "Mr. Salvenus Haight, Mr. Danl. Haight 
and Caleb Morgan were appointed to Inspect the Lines 
and Line Fences of the Parsonage farm on the 24th day 
of October, 1795 at ten o'clock of said day." 

At a Vestry meeting held on March 31st, 1798, 

the aforesaid Churches being Vacant as to a minis- 
ter — it was thought advisable to rent out the Glebe 
farm when it wars unanimously agreed that Salvenus 
Haight & Caleb Morgan should be and are hearby 
appointed as a Commety to Rent out the above sd 
Glebe — when the sd Commety Did agree with Thomas 
Hunyen 1 for the sum of Thirty-five pounds for one 
year; from the date thereof the said Thomas Hunyen 
is to put the sd Rent in stone wall on the place Ex- 
cept Six pounds which he is to pay in Cash to the 
Wardens and Vestry at Expiration of the year. The 
Stone Wall is to be 4 feet 8 inches high, 2 feet wide at 
the bottom and Double half way up, and to be well 
Done; the said Hunyen is to Draw the stone for sd 
wall and make it where the sd Commety shall ap- 
point — and be at 4s/ pr Rod — the sd Hunyen is 
not to keep a Publick house nor suffer any to be 
kept in sd house nor Dammage the house 

As witness our hands the Day and Date above 
written 

Daniel Haight Caleb Morgan 

Abram Garrison Silvanus Haight 

Thomas Henyen. 

1 In some old deeds this name is spelled "Hennion." 



The Glebe Farm 329 

In 1799 Daniel Haight was appointed 

to call a Jury to apprise Damages Done to the 
Parsonage Farm by Laying a Road threw The Same 
and it is Further agreed that Thomas Henyon have 
the use for one year, he paying Thirty-five pounds 
witch sum is to be Layed out in Stone Fence on said 
Farm. 

The following year the farm was rented at forty pounds 
to Henyen, it being stipulated 

that the rent is to be put out in stone wall as yusual 
at fore shilling per rod, also the said Thomas Henion 
is to sow the winter grane allon the west side of the 
road, also the stone fence to be made on the west side 
of the Rode along were the new road is laid owt. 

The Vestry was not free from difficulties with its 
tenants, and in 1800 

It was agreed that Harry Garrison, Joshua Lan- 
caster and Benjamin Douglass Jun r be a Committee 
to examine the Damages Done on the Parsonage 
farm and agre with Thomas Henyon for the Same 
and if Mr. Henyon will not Pay what Damage they 
Judg to have bin Done by him, the said Committee 
are hereby otherrised to take the Steps of the Law 
to collect the same. 

Subsequently this Committee reported that — 

After viewing the damage done on the Glebe 
farm by Thomas Henyon that it is there opinion that 
the sum of Ten pound Damage was Done by sd 
Henyon & that the said Thomas Henyon Mentioned 
to the Committee that he wanted a new Roof on the 
Barn to which the Committee agreed to allow him 
Six pound for that purpose out of the Ten pound 



330 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

Damage as afforesaid, and that he has put on the said 
Roof & there remains a ballance of Ten Dollars Due 
the Wardens and Vestry of said Churches. 

In 1802 Joshua Lancaster was allowed twelve shillings 
"for Riting lease for the Gleeb." The same year James 
Mandevill assumed the tenancy under the following con- 
ditions : 

First, that there shall not be more than 15 acres 
of Winter Grane left on the Farm, and not more than 
5 acres of Corn and 8 acres of Buckwheat sowed in 
one yeare, and no wood or poles to be sold of said 
farm, and that their shall be no Tavern kept or Danc- 
ing allowed in said house, and that the fences shall be 
left in as good repaire as he finds them, and that no 
Meddowland shall be plowed, and no Cattle is to run 
in the Meddow after the 20th of March in each year, 
and that the Tenant shall be accountable for all dam- 
magge that the house and farm shall receive by his 
neglect, and the said Mandeville shall give up the 
premises unto the Wardens and Vestry without trou- 
ble under the penalty of one hundred dollars — the 
rent to be paid in Cash at the end of the year. 

Here is Thomas Henyon's account with the Vestry 
when he gave up his tenancy in 1802: 

Thomas Henyon to the Wardens and Vestry 

Dr 

April 29th 

1802. 
To 1 years Rent ending April, 1802 £45. 00. 0. 

To damage done on the Farm by cutting 

Hoop Poles— Wood 10. 16. 0. 

£55. 16. 0. 



The Glebe Farm 331 

Cr 

By repairing the Barn £6. 0. 0. 
By making 27 Rods over the hundred 

Rods for Rent, 5. 8. 0. 

By Dan'l Haight's Note 26. 15. 0. 

By Cash paid James Mandeville 17. 13. 0. 

£55. 16. 0. 



In addition to the farm James Mandeville was allowed 
to have the pasture of the ground lying around St. Peter's 
Church for twenty shillings, it being, however, stipulated 
that he should not be allowed to pasture hogs on the said 
land. At the close of the year his account with the Vestry 
is thus recorded : 

James Mandeville to the Wardens and Vestry : — 

Dr. 

1803 

To 1 years rent of the Parsonage Farm, £35 . 0.0. 
To 1 years rent of the Church land, 1 . 0.0. 

To Cash received 

Daniel Haight 10. 3. 0. 



£46. 3. 



Cr 

By sundries for repairing the Parsonage 

House, £26. 5. 10. 

By Cash paid to Henry Mandeville for 

Boarding men when repairing the 

house, clearing meadows, and all 

other services done by him 8. 14. 0. 

By Cash 11. 3. 2 



£46. 3. 0. 



332 The History of St, Philip' s Chur ch 

The following year the rent of the glebe was raised 
to fifty pounds, the tenant being required to give se- 
curity, and the removal of "hay or dung" from the 
farm was prohibited. James Mandeville continued as 
tenant of the farm for several years, and in 1822 Joshua 
Nelson assumed the tenancy at one hundred dollars 
per annum and "to be allowed out of his rent to put 
a new roof on the Parsonage House — a pine roof of 
Good short pine shingles." The following is a copy of 
the lease: 

An Article of Agreement and farm let to Joshua 
Nelson by the Committee Harry Garrison and Daniel 
Haight who ware appointed by the Wardens and 
Vestry of said Church to let the Parsonage Farm for 
the year 1822— 

And we the said Committee do by thes presents Let 
the Parsonage Farm for one year from the first day of 
April, 1822, till the first day of April, 1823, for the 
sum of Ninety Dollars a part of which may be paid 
in Making of Stone Wall on said Farm in such place 
as the Wardens and Vestry shall Direct. 

And the following is the Restrictions on which 
the Farm is let: 

No Hay to be sold off the Farm nor any Manure off 
of the said Farm on any pretence whatever but to be 
used on the farm. Not more than twenty acres of 
Winter Grain. Not more than the same Quantity of 
acres of Summer croppes and the Meadows to be kept 
in good repair, that is free from brush and in a farmer 
like Mannor to be done at the expense of the said 
Joshua Nelson, and no More firewood to be cut than 
for the use of the family of the said Joshua Nelson 
he to have the full use of all the lands of said farm for 
the aforesaid term. 



The Glebe Farm 333 

And at that time on the first day of April, 1823, to 
give up the said farm to the Wardens and Vestry or 
Make a further Agreement for another year, and it 
further agreed on that if the said Joshua Nelson 
shall Seed any of the Land of said farm and not stay 
more than one year then the Wardens and Vestry to 
allow him out of his rent such sum as is right & 
reasonable, but if he shall continue on said farm then 
the seeding to be continued for his benefit. 

As Witness to this agreement we have hereunto 
set our hand and seals this 24th day of January, 1822. 

Daniel Haight (Seal) Joshua Nelson (Seal) 

Harry Garrison (Seal). 

For some years there was an agitation to sell the glebe 
farm and invest the money for the good of the parish. 
As far back as 1812 "several members of the Vestry con- 
curred in a scheme for selling the Glebe," but, writes a 
parishoner to Bishop Hobart, "The manner of the gift 
from Mr. and Mrs. Robinson, the obtaining a confirma- 
tion of that gift by a Law of the State, and a certainty 
of a future fund to the Churches, induced William Denning 
to oppose that measure of sale, and it is sincerely to be 
hoped it never will again be attempted." 1 

The question of the sale was however taken up seriously 
in the year 1827, when the then Rector, the Rev. Edward 
J. Ives, put the case to Bishop Hobart thus : 

At the last parish meeting the officers of my Church 
resolved to dispose of it, provided it met with your 
approbation, and Judge Garrison was authorized 
to address you on the subject . . . The annual 
avails from the Farm do not exceed $100, and part of 
this is to be appropriated to repairs on it. It will 

1 Hobart MSS. 



334 The History of St. Philip's Church 

command (it is supposed) when offered for sale 
three or four thousand dollars. Is it not best to dis- 
pose of it, and invest the amount in safe and per- 
manent stock in N. Y.? 

On January 4th, 1828, the Vestry voted "to petition 
the Chancellor for leaf to sell the farm," and one year 
and a day later "agreeable to the Order of the Chancellor 
of the State of New York, the Gleab was offered for sale. 
Sixteen dollars, thirty seven and a half cents was offered 
per acre." 

The price was not deemed satisfactory and "the sale 
was then adjourned until the second day of February at 
2 o'clock p. m." On that day "the farm was again offered 
for sale, and struck off to Joshua Nelson of Philips Town 
at sixteen dollars, fifty cents per acre." A little later 
this note appears in the minutes of the Vestry: 

Memorandum. 

Joshua Nelson to whom the Farm was struck off 
at the auction afterwards became dissatisfied with the 
purchase and paid the costs of obtaining the Decree of 
Sale &c from the Chancellor to R. C. Cruston to be 
released from the purchase which Wardens and Vestry 
consented to do. 

Once more, therefore, the weary round of renting was 
taken up, and Christopher Haight became the tenant 
at a rental of $125. For security Haight gave a bill of 
sale on the hay and rye. There is preserved an inter- 
esting account of Christopher Haight's dated 1829: 

To Vestry for Rent. Contra. Cr. 

November 12th, 1829. 

To 16 boards for Barn $2-00 

" 3^1b.Nales 1-04^ 

u James Mowetts labor at Barn 1-50 



The Glebe Farm 335 



To 1 doz panes of Glass 


-75 


a puting at Back in Chimney 


1-00 


" Sill under the Doar 


-75 


April 16th, 1830 




To Cash on Rent 


70-00 


"16 bushels of Corn — paid to Mr Garrison 


8-25 


u Cash paid J. Garrison for Rent 


10-00 


April, 1831. 




To Cash paid to Garrison 


38-00 


" 60 Boards at 14 d per board 


8-75 


" lllbs.Nales 


83^ 


u Labor by Roberson 


2-50 


" Drowing the 60 Boards from Peekskill 


2-00 


" Drowing the Ladder from Mandevills 


1-00 


" 1 days work by me and 2 days by Stepher 


i 2-25 


a 3 Rods stone Fence at one dollar per rod 


3-00 


$153-63 


May 31st, 1831 




To Cash paid John Garrison, Clerk 


65-00 


$218-63 



How the farm passed out of the hands of the Vestry 
is thus described by the late Frederick Philipse: 

20th October, 1838. 

By unanimous consent of all the acting members 
of the Vestry, both of St. Peters and St. Philips (altho' 
without any formal meeting being had) the Glebe 
Farm belonging to the said Churches was sold at 
Peekskill at Public Auction in pursuance of advertise- 
ment, and under an authority obtained from the Court 
of Chancery on the 10th of November, 1828, and 
under the direction of Isaac Seymour Esq., General 
Pierre Van Cortlandt and others, and was struck off 
to David McCoy for the sum of $5001 that being the 
highest bid for the same. 



336 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 



The terms of settlement were one half cash, the other 
half left on bond and mortgage for twenty years at 6%. 

As the parish was about to divide it was mutually 
agreed that St. Peter's should receive the cash, and St. 
Philip's assume the mortgage. The resolution of the 
Vestry (1839) is very explicit: 

Resolved, that one half of the proceeds of the said 
sale to be and hereby is irevocably appropriated, 
given, pledged and devoted to and for the exclusive 
use and benefit of S. Philips Chapel and the atten- 
dant minister and congregation hereof only — for 
the advancement of Religion according to the Rites 
and Doctrines of the Protestant Episcopal Church — 
and to be under the exclusive direction of such of the 
Church Wardens and Vestrymen of S. Peter's Church 
and S. Philips Chapel, now united, as shall be resi- 
dents of Philips Town, and attendant upon Divine 
Worship at that Chapel. 

The deed ran as follows: 



Harry Garrison, Pierre Van 
Cortlandt, Wardens, and S. 
Gouvemeur, Cornelius Nelson, 
John Garrison, Daniel Haight, 
H. C. DeRham, Isaac Seymour, 
Frederick Philipse, Vestrymen 
of the Corporation of St. Peter's 
Church in Peekskill, in the Town 
of Cortlandt and County of 
Westchester, and St. Philip's 
Chapel, in the Highlands, in the 
Town of Philips and County of 
Dutchess (now Putnam) 



Corporation Deed. 
Dated Apl. 1, 1839. 
Ack'd Feb. 3, 1840. 
Rec'd Dec. 10,1851. 
at 11 a.m. 
Liber X., page 310. 
Cons. $5001. 



The Glebe Farm 337 

To 
David McCoy 
Sold at Public Auction. 

CONVEYS: 

All that certain farm or tract of land situate in Phil- 
ipstown aforesaid, bounded as follows; to wit: 
North by land now or formerly of Isaac Lent and 
James Mowatt, on the east by land now or formerly 
of Isaac Lent, on the south by the Putnam County 
line, until it comes to the land of Pierre Van Cort- 
landt, and on the West by the lands now or formerly 
of James Mowatt and James Croft. Containing 
about 200 acres, be the same more or less. Being the 
same premises which were granted by the people of the 
State of New York to the Trustees of the United 
Protestant Episcopal Church of St. Peter's Church, 
in the Town of Cortlandt, in the County of West- 
chester and St. Philip's Chapel, in Philipstown in the 
County of Dutchess (now Putnam), and their succes- 
sors forever in trust for the use of the said United 
Congregations by an act of the Legislature passed 
27th March 1794, and which said Trustees and their 
successors were duly constituted a body corporate 
under the name and style of the Corporation of St. 
Peter's Church in Peekskill, in the Town of Cort- 
landt and County of Westchester, and St. Philip's 
Chapel, in the Highlands, in the Town of Philips and 
County of Dutchess, by virtue of and under an act 
of the Legislature of the State of New York passed 6th 
April, 1784, entitled an act to enable all the religious 
denominations in this State to appoint Trustees who 
shall be a body corporate for the purpose of taking 
care of the temporalities of their respective congre- 
gations and for other purposes, as by reference to 
the records in the Clerk's Office in the County of 



338 The History of St, Philip 's Church 

Westchester, Liber A of Religious Societies, page 26, 
on the 22nd day of December, 1791, will more fully 
appear. 

In subsequent years a dispute arose between the Vestry 
and McCoy, and recourse was had to the courts. The 
mortgage was finally paid in 1864 and the proceeds were 
invested in treasury notes. 

This was not the only land owned by the Vestry. In 
1806, Daniel Haight, James Mandeville and Harry 
Garrison were appointed a committee of the Vestry to 
purchase "a farm of real estate to the amount of the 
£400 which will be advantageous for the Society to pur- 
chase." The land selected adjoined the parsonage farm 
and was bought from "Samuel Owens, Esq." for £500. 
In area it was 34 acres, 2 roods, and 15 perches, and Mr. 
Owens leased the ground for seven years at an annual 
rental of £25. 

That this additional land was for the purpose of en- 
larging the glebe is evident from the following Minute 
of the Corporation of Trinity Church: 

Resolved that the further sum of £100 be granted 
to the United Churches of S. Peter's and S. Philip's 
towards payment for thirty-four acres of land lately 
purchased as an additional Glebe, and that the sum 
be paid with the £400 formerly granted for the same 
purpose and upon the like conditions as are expressed 
in the grant of that sum. 1 

In 1811 the Vestry found it necessary to sell the wood 
off this lot. It was divided into five lots and sold to the 
highest bidder, and the following statement is recorded 
in the minutes: 

1 Minutes of Trinity Corporation, August 29th, 1807, Vol. 2, p. 273. 



The Gl 


ebe 


Farm 




To share of Wood 


Owens Land. 




A. Cunie, No. 1 






$18.00 


JohnOppy, " 2 






19.00 


Hopper Smith, No. 3 






25.12}^ 


Drake Conklin, " 4 






25.75 


Jas. Mandeville, No. 5 






22.50 




$110.37*^ 



339 



The disposition of the proceeds of this sale is interest- 
ing. Eighty-five dollars was paid to meet an order drawn 
on the Vestry by the Rev. John Urquhart, Rector of the 
parish, and twenty-two dollars and fifty cents went to 
pay a "book account." Harry Garrison and Daniel 
Haight were each allowed two dollars "for their two days' 
services in transacting the business." 

The acquisition of this property seems to have been 
peculiarly difficult, for in 1816 

the question being put by what Means the Church 
lost the Lot of Land Purchased of Samuel Owens 
by Daniel Wm. Birdsall, voted that John Oppie, 
Major Hanlon and James Mandeville were appointed 
a Committee to see if there are no Means by which 
the Church may obtain there property purchased by 
the Vestry of Samuel Owens. 

The Committee never reported. 



CHAPTER XII. 

THE CHURCHYARD. 

FOR nigh upon a century and a half the ground 
around St. Philip's in the Highlands has been 
used as a last resting place for the faithful dead. 
In that hallowed spot there sleep "the forefathers of the 
hamlet." Men who were prominent in the affairs of the 
nation, men who directed great commercial enterprises, 
and men who fought in the Revolutionary and the Civil 
Wars lie side by side with those whose lives were not the 
less worthy because they were obscure. 

From the earliest times the Vestry of the parish has 
taken the greatest care of this "God's Acre." For the 
repeated extension of the churchyard the parish is in- 
debted to the members of the Philipse family. 
The oldest tombstone is thus inscribed: 

SULVENUS NELSON 

who departed this life 
July 11th, 1793 
Aged 24 Years, 3 months, and 4 days. 
Behold and see as you pass by! 
As you are now, so once was I: 
As I am now you soon must be 
Prepare for death, and follow me. 

The next oldest graves are 

Harry, son of Harry and Jane Garrison, 

who died 

November 18th, 1795. 



and 



The Churchyard 341 

Hannah, wife of Jacob Nelson, 
who departed this life 
February 16th, 1798. 

ANNA LANCASTER, 
wife of Joshua Lancaster, 
died April 16, 1799. 
Aged 43 years, 1 month and 14 days. 
Dear friend that lives to mourn and weep, 
Behold the grave wherein I sleep. 
Prepare for death, for you must dye, 
And be entombed as well as I. 

It is an interesting fact that here are buried so many 
soldiers whose "battle day is done." Two, at least, link 
us with the far-off days of the Revolution. 

LIEUTENANT JOEL JENKINS 

Who departed this life 

June 23rd, 1827 

Aged 69 years, 9 months and 11 days. 

A worthy of the Revolution. 

And still another link with that memorable conflict is 
the tombstone of 

JOHN BISHOP 
A Soldier of the Revolution 
who died in 1849 aged 93 years. 

Two sons of the parish were killed in the Civil War: 

CHARLES A. TURNER, 

Died October 10th, 1863, aged 22 years. 

A good soldier — A true son of the 38th Regt., 

Co. B, N. Y. Volunteers 

Wounded at Fredericksburg. 

and 



342 The History of St. Philip 9 s C hutch 

JESSE H. AUSTIN, 

Died March 7th, 1865 

Aged 18 years and 6 months. 

38th Regiment, Co. L, N. Y. Volunteers 

Died at Harpers Ferry 

An undated "Government stone" marks the final rest- 
ing place of 

ALEXANDER NELSON, 
Company L, N. Y. H. A. 

Others served in the same conflict, but were spared for 
longer service: 

SAMUEL NICOLL BENJAMIN 

Assistant Adjutant General 

Brevet-Lt. Colonel U. S. A. 

Born January 3rd, 1839 

Died May 15th, 1886 

and his comrade in arms and kinsman 

ABRAHAM KERNS ARNOLD, 

Colonel U. S. Cavalry. 
Brigadier-General Volunteers. 

Born March 24th, 1837 
Died November 23rd, 1901. 

In two instances the parish gave father and son to 
serve in the same Civil War — the Halls and the Ardens — 
and in each case the father was a Vestryman. General 
Hall is buried at Tarry town, and his son survives; but 
the Ardens rest in this churchyard. 

GEORGE DePEYSTER ARDEN 

Born December 25th, 1841 
served during the Rebellion of the seceding States as 
Colonel of the New York State Volunteers ; and after 
many years of pain and suffering in the patient pur- 
suit of his business died of disease due to the casualties 
and exposures incidental to his service in the Army. 
Died May 26th, 1885. 



The Churchyard 343 

Near to this son rests his honored father, for long years 
a Vestryman, Warden and custodian of the churchyard, 
who, though retired from the Army, responded to his 
country's need and rendered yeoman service: 

THOMAS BOYLE ARDEN 

July 18th, 1813 

August 18th, 1896 

Class of 1835 West Point Military Academy 

"For Thou hast been a shelter for me." 

In the same conflict there served Harry Arden, another 
son of the Colonel. He fought under General Banks and 
rose to the rank of Lieutenant. He died October 6th, 
1908. James Turner, John Bliss Miller, Alfred Fields 
and Richard Austin fought in the ranks. Another sol- 
dier's grave is that of the young son of General Arnold: 

WALTER MONTGOMERY ARNOLD 

Corporal Troop F 6th U. S. Cavalry 

Son of 

Abraham Kerns and Sarah Benjamin Arnold 

Died February 6th, 1895 

Aged 26 years. 

The Spanish-American War claimed one distinguished 
son of the Parish: 

To the Memory of 
HAMILTON FISH, JR. 

only son of 

Nicholas and Clemence B. Fish. 

First Sergeant of 

Capron's Troop, Troop L 

First United States Volunteer Cavalry. 

Killed in Battle at 

Las Guasimas, Cuba, 

June 24th, 1898 

hi the 25th year of his age. 



344 The History of St. Philip 9 s C hurch 

Wandering through this peaceful spot and examining 
the inscriptions, one could call an almost complete roll of 
the Wardens and Vestrymen of by-gone days. Here lies 
Joshua Nelson, who was born in 1726, a member of the 
first Vestry, who died at the age of ninety-one; Justus 
Nelson, born in 1738; Daniel Haight, born in 1753; 
Cornelius Nelson, born fourteen years before the Declar- 
ation of Independence; Sylvanus Haight, who died in 
1834; and Richard D. Arden, a Vestryman from 1840 
until 1857. Five members of the Garrison family served 
on the Vestry, all of whom are buried here, as is also 
Richard Upjohn, the architect of the present church. 

And coming down to later times we mark the graves 
of William Moore, who entered the Vestry in 1857, and 
was Warden at his death; Henry W. Belcher for forty 
years on the Vestry; Hamilton Fish, Governor of the 
State of New York, Secretary of State, a Vestryman and 
Warden from 1862 until 1893; the brothers Livingston, 
Samuel Sloan, President of the Delaware and Lacka- 
wanna Railroad, who entered the Vestry in 1875, and 
served until 1907; William H. Osborn, President of the 
Illinois Central railroad, and a member of the Vestry in 
1877-8; John M. Toucey, General Manager of the New 
York Central and Hudson River Railroad, a former 
Treasurer of the parish, and John H. Iselin, a Vestryman 
from 1890 to 1893. 

In this, as in most burial grounds, there are the un- 
marked graves of the dead. When the New York Cen- 
tral railroad was being constructed through this parish in 
1849, an epidemic of cholera broke out which carried off 
many of the laborers. They were reverently interred 
in a trench on the north side of the churchyard. 



The Churchyard 345 

The erection of a larger church in 1861 made the re- 
moval of some remains necessary. This was carried out 
with the utmost care and tenderness. This work brought 
to light an interesting historical link with the War of the 
Revolution. 

During the War "Beverly," the erstwhile mansion of 
Colonel Beverly Robinson, was occupied as headquarters 
by Major-General Israel Putnam, who was accompanied 
by his wife. There were anchored in the river opposite 
"Beverly" some American frigates, the magazines of 
which exploded. This, together with the noise of the 
battle and capture of Fort Montgomery, so terrified Mrs. 
Putnam that she fled from "Beverly," and took refuge 
in the house of Jacob Mandeville at the Four Corners. 
There she died. The place of her burial has been a 
matter of much debate. But all the evidence points to 
the fact of her interment in this churchyard. At the time 
of her death General Putnam was with the troops at 
Fishkill. The imperative need for his presence there 
would necessitate as little delay as possible in the inter- 
ment, and the churchyard was the nearest and the most 
fitting burial ground. 

The matter seems placed beyond dispute by the evi- 
dence presented in a letter to Mr. Stuy vesant Fish written 
by Colonel J. S. C. Hamilton in 1904. He says, "An 
old acquaintance of mine, Michael Lee by name, who for 
many years had been the trusted employee of the late 
Henry R. Worthington, informed me that when he first 
arrived at Castle Garden from Ireland, he was employed 
by a contractor and taken up the river to Garrison; the 
first work allotted him was to take up the remains of a 
considerable number of persons buried in a very old 



346 The History of St. Philip 9 s Chur ch 

churchyard, the object being to grade up the grounds pre- 
paratory to the erection of some other building; 1 in the 
course of this work he opened a vault situated in the side of 
the bank, and took out a casket containing the remains of 
the wife of Major-General Putnam; upon opening the 
same it was found that she had been prematurely buried, 
as the remains were face downward, and that the hair was 
not only in a perfect state of preservation, but had grown 
until it had covered nearly all the interior of the casket." 
Upon further pursuing his investigation Colonel Hamil- 
ton found a brother-in-law of the contractor, who testified 
that the remains, with others, were re-interred immedi- 
ately in the rear of the present church. 

It is worthy of historical record that the churchyard 
was not the earliest burying place. The ground in the 
rear of Jacob Mandeville's house was used for burial 
purposes, and the last gravestones were removed about 
1862. It is quite within the range of possibility that 
Jacob Mandeville, whose grave has never been traced, 
was buried there. Up to a few years ago there could be 
traced on the Toucey estate many graves. By the 
courtesy of Mr. James Nelson I am able to reproduce the 
inscription on a slab of Argylite which he himself copied : 

HER LIES 

THE BO 

DY OF 

I. H. DESH 

YE 7 1753. 

The ground has been cultivated, the graves levelled, 
and the last stone carried away. 

1 Undoubtedly the new church in 1861. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

THE PARISH REGISTER. 

THE Canon Law of the Church requires that in 
every parish there shall be kept an accurate 
record of baptisms, confirmations, marriages, 
burials, and also a list of communicants. 

The earliest parochial register has just been discovered. 
It is a faded school exercise book, measuring eight inches 
by seven, and is styled, 

Register 

of 

Baptisms, Marriages and Funerals 

of the Congregations of 

S. Peter's Church, Peekskill, and 

S. Philip's Church in the Highlands 

Begun 16th December, 1809, kept by 

The Revd John Urquhart, Rector. 

There are five recorded baptisms for St. Peter's. 

BAPTISMS AT ST. PETER'S CHURCH AND 
BELONGING TO THAT CONGREGATION. 

1810. June 17th, Baptised, Walter, son of the Rev. 

John Urquhart 
Sponsors: Major Hanlon, Captain Mandevill, 

and Miss Sally Hanlon. 
1810, Nov 18th, Baptised Charlotta, daughter of 

Owen and Elizabeth Odell. 

Sponsors, the Parents. 



348 The History of St. Philip' s Chur ch 

1811, July 11th, Baptized Charles, the son of Samuel 

and Mary Howel. 

Sponsors, the Father and Mrs Jane 

Brown. 
1811, July 28th, Baptized on Sunday, Elizabeth, the 

daughter of Henry and Ann Coyne. 

Sponsors, the Parents. 
1811, Oct. 20th, Baptized Anne Matilda, the daughter 

of James and Mary Summerbille. 

Sponsors the Parents and Mrs Lydia 

Ferris. 

BAPTISMS OF THE CONGREGATION OP ST. PHILIP'S CHURCH. 

1810, Jany 2nd Baptized at Joshua Lancaster's on 
Tuesday, Joshua, the son of Isaac 
and Sarah Henyan. 
Also Rebecca, daughter of John and 
Ruth Lounsbury. Sponsors, the 
Mother and Joshua and Susanna 
Lancaster. 

1810, July 8th Baptized at Mr William Denning's 

on Sunday, Charles Denning, the son 
of James and Amelia Gillespie. 
Sponsors, William Denning, William 
Henderson and Sarah Henderson. 
Baptized at the same time and place, 
Frances Maria, the daughter of 
William Alexander and Maria H. 
Duer. Sponsors, Lucretia Shaler, 
Sarah Henderson and William Hen- 
derson. 1 

1 Frances Maria Duer was a grandchild of William Denning and 
Sarah (Hauxhurst) Denning, the latter of whom is buried in the Chest- 
nut Grove south of the Beverly house. She married Henry S. Hoyt, 
and for some years prior to 1875, lived in the old Beverly house. She 
died at Newport, R. L, about 1908. 



^/, 



tu W^Mj \ 



zn/Uf J-ati^atkl, 



/ j (/ ^Zifd t J/Jc<.'£ /&&■ C£*aJc4 S&PHi 



m tu a it l % wtuuij**^. 

A PAGE OF THE FIRST PARISH REGISTER 

1810 



The Parish Register 349 

1811, Feby 17th. Baptized at Joshua Nelson's, Jacob 
Nelson and Lucy Ann, the former 
born Oct. 10th, 1807, and the latter 
August 12th, 1810, being the children 
of Mr Pardie of Poughkeepsie. 
Sponsors, the Parents and Jacob Nel- 
son and Mrs. Nelson. 

1811, March 3rd Baptized on Sunday Harriet Jane, 
daughter of Joshua and Anne Hen- 
yan. Sponsors, the Mother and old 
Mr Henyan, the child's grandfather. 

1811, Sept. 16th Baptized at the house of William 
Lancaster, Betsey, the daughter of 
Stephen and Sarah Lounsbury. 
Sponsors, the Mother & Mr. & Mrs. 
Lancaster. 

1811, Sept. 29th Baptized in the Highlands, at the 

house of Captain Philipse, Mary 
Marston, the daughter of Samuel 
and Mary Gouverneur. Sponsors, 
Thomas Marston, Jr., Maria Phil- 
ipse, Mary Gouverneur. 
The above Mary Marston was born 
2nd August 1811., 

1812, Feby 16th. Baptized on Sunday at the house 

of Joshua Lancaster, Martha, the 
daughter of John and Ruth Louns- 
berry. Sponsors, the Mother and 
Joshua Lancaster. 
1812, Sept 27th. Baptized in S. Philips Church, Maria, 
the daughter of the Rev. John Urqu- 
hart. Born the 28th of July, 10 o'c 
at night. 

Sponsors, Capt. Frederick Philipse, 
Maria Philipse and Susan Urquhart, 
the Mother. 



350 The History of St. Philip' s C kur ch 

1812, Nov 22nd, Baptized at Joshua Nelson's house 

on Sunday before the congregation, 
after divine worship, Susan, the 
daughter of George Reade, from Mr. 
Stewart's mines. 1 

1813, Jany 3rd. Baptized on Sunday at the house of 

Joshua Nelson, before the congrega- 
tion, Jacob Pardy, son of Cornelius 
and Charity Nelson. Sponsors, the 
Father and Mrs Sarah Nelson. 

Here the record of baptisms by the Rev. John Urqu- 
hart ends, as he retired from the parish sometime in 1813, 
but there is on record the following baptism by the Rev. 
John Brown, who was Rector of St. George's Church, 
Newburgh: 

1815, Aug 13th, Mary Hannah, daughter of Cornelius 
and Charity Nelson. Born Nov 
13th, 1814. Sponsors, the Father and 
Sarah Nelson. 

We now turn to the record of marriages performed by 
Mr. Urquhart, which is headed 

MARRIAGES IN BOTH CONGREGATIONS. 

1809, Dec 16th. Married on Saturday at Mrs. Steele's 

in the Highlands, John Horton and 
Anne Steele, according to the estab- 
lished form of the Protestant Episco- 
pal Church, before several witnesses. 

1810, Jany 2nd, Married on Tuesday at the house of 

Joshua Lancaster, Joshua Henyan 
and Anne Lancaster. 

1 Stewart's Mine was on the headwaters of Campus Creek, other- 
wise called Sprout's Brook. 



The Parish Register 351 

1810, Jany 9th. Married at Mrs. Devenport's, High- 

lands, on Tuesday, Reuben Travers 
and Nancy Devenport. 

1810, Jany 11th. Married at Daniel Haight's, High- 
lands, on Thursday, Samuel Warren 
and Martha Haight. 

1810, Feby 10th. Married at Mrs. Meek's house be- 
yond the Parsonage, on Saturday, 
Arthur Lancaster and Leah Hopper. 

1810, Feby 10th. Married on the same day at the house 
of Joseph Ferris, James Somerville 
and Mary Ferris. 

1810, June 16th. Married on Saturday, Ebenezer 
Owens and Oli Lockwood before 
several witnesses. 

1810, Nov 22nd. Married on Thursday, Elijah Daven- 

port and Susan Warren, daughter of 
Mr John Warren, before several wit- 
nesses. 

1811, Jany 5th. Married on Saturday, James Drake 

and Polly Smith before several wit- 
nesses at the house of Philemon 
Smith in Canopus Hollow. 

1811, June 29th. Married on Saturday, Israel Owens 
and Jemima Rhodes, near St. Peter's 
Church at Mrs. Rhodes' house before 
several witnesses. 

1811, Aug 31st. Married on Saturday, John Spock of 
Cortland town, and Mary Meiks of 
Philipstown, at the house of William 
Lancaster, Highlands, in the presence 
of several witnesses. 

1811, Sept 21st. Married on Saturday, Samuel and 
Theodosia Smith, in the house of Phile- 
mon Smith, before divers witnesses 
according to the prescribed order of 
the Protestant Episcopal Church. 



352 The History of St. Philip' s Church 



1812, Feby 26th. 

1812, March 1st. 

1812, April 8th. 
1812, Oct. 1st. 

1812, Dec. 31st. 

1813, Jany 7th. 

1813, Jany 9th. 

1813, Jany 16th. 

1813, Jany 25th. 
1813, Jany 26th. 

1813, Feby 16th. 

1813, March 6th. 



Married on Wednesday, before sev- 
eral witnesses, at the house of Jeacox 
in the Highlands, Cornelius Nelson 
and Charity Jeacox. 
Married on Sunday evening at the 
house of Amos Austin in the High- 
lands, before several witnesses, Jacob 
Nelson junior and Maria Austin. 
Married on Wednesday at the house 
of William Lancaster, Highlands, 
James Dalton and Hannah Lancaster. 
Married at the house of Silas Chap- 
man in Philipstown on Thursday, 
Ebenezer Cole and Eliza Chapman. 
Married at Mr. Gillet's in the High- 
lands, on Thursday, Stephen Haight 
and Lydia Gillet. 

Married at Mrs. Lihely's in Philips- 
town on Thursday, Anjouvine Purdy 
and Esther Lihely. 
Married in the Highlands at the 
house of Cornelius Nelson on Satur- 
day, James Horton and Anne Nelson. 
Married at Mr Chapman's on Satur- 
day, William Travis to Ann Chap- 
man. 

Married on Monday, John Horton to 
Sally Coldgrove. 

Married at Mr Legget's, on Brown's 
Landing, on Tuesday, Peter Lynch 
and Fanny Delanzy. 
Married at Mr Devenport's in the 
Highlands, on Tuesday, John Warren 
and Rachel Devenport. 
Married on Saturday at the Widow 
Meicks', Stephen MacCabe and Betsy 
Meicks. 



The Parish Register 353 

There are no burials recorded in this register kept by 
Mr. Urquhart. 

From 1813 to 1837 there are no entries of baptisms, 
marriages or funerals, and no trace or suggestion of any 
such records. The reason lies in the difficulty of obtain- 
ing clergy for the work of the united parishes. The 
churches were only opened at intervals for services, and 
the sacraments were but rarely administered. 

The next parish register we owe to the Rev. Henry 
Lemuel Storrs, who was Priest-in-charge of St. Philip's 
in the year 1836. Writing on October 23rd, 1836, Mr. 
Storrs says, "I have not yet discovered any register, 
nor do I suppose any has been kept." Evidently Mr. 
Storrs had not then access to the records of Mr. Urqu- 
hart, but he himself made and kept a careful record of 
his own official ministrations. 
It is headed: 

Register of the 

Baptisms, Marriages, Funerals and 

Confirmations 

St. Philip's Church, 

Philipstown, 

Commenced Oct 23rd, 1836 by Henry L. Storrs, Minister. 

BAPTISMS. 

1837, June 15th. Maria Lent, aged 19 years, daughter 

of John and Rachel Lent. 
1837, July 9th. Mary Ann Hamilton, aged two 

months, daughter of Alexander and 

Sarah Hamilton. 
1837, Oct. 10th. George Francis Garrison, aged 4 

years, son of John and Martha 

Garrison. 

and 

Margaret Dominick Garrison, aged 2 

years, same parents. 



354 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

1837, Oct 10th. Nicholas De Peyster, aged 11 years, 

son of George and Lydia De Peyster. 

MARRIAGES. 

1837, March 1st. Elisha Nelson to Phoebe Jane Birt- 

sall. 
1837, April 2nd. Sebastian Sohn to Barbara Schuland. 
1837, June 15th. Christopher McDowell to Sarah J. 

Warren. 

FUNERALS. 

[To Mr. Storrs we are indebted for the first record 
of Burials in the Parish Register.] 
1836, Oct 23rd. Sidney Mead, son of Joseph N. and 
Betsy Mead. 

1836, Dec. 11th. William Sutton of Cold Spring. 

1837, June 18th. Maria Lent, aged 19. 

[Mr. Storrs records her Baptism three 
days before her death.] 

CONFIRMATIONS. 

Prior to the ministry of Mr. Storrs no record had been 
kept of confirmations, and of the following names he 
writes, "A correct list of the persons confirmed in St. 
Philip's Church, as I can make out, no register having 
been kept before, that I can discover." 

Daniel Haight Harry Hooper 

John Nelson John Garrison 

Lydia Garrison Harry Garrison 

Mary H. Nelson Sarah Woolstencroft 

Charity Nelson Mary Gouverneur 

Margaret Gouverneur. 



The Parish Register 355 

Presumably these had been confirmed prior to 1836, 
and on September 28th, 1837, the following were pre- 
sented to the Bishop for confirmation: 

Elizabeth K. Storrs Frances Arden 

Helen Arden Phoebe J. Garrison 

The Bishops who have administered the sacred rite 
of confirmation in the church are: Onderdonk of New 
York (1843), DeLancey of Western New York (1847), 
Whittingham of Maryland (1849), Carlton Chase of New 
Hampshire (1852), Wainwright of New York (1853), 
Horatio Potter of New York, Seymour of Springfield 
(1879), Henry Codman Potter of New York, Leighton 
Coleman of Delaware (1899), Courtney late of Nova 
Scotia (1908), Greer (1909) and Lucien Lee Kinsolving of 
Southern Brazil (1910). All, save the three latter, have 
passed from the Church militant to the Church trium- 
phant. 

COMMUNICANTS. 

Writing on October 23rd, 1836, the Rev. Henry L. 
Storrs, minister in charge, says, "This is a correct list of 
Communicants of St. Philip's Church when I assumed 
pastoral charge:" 

Mr. Samuel Gouverneur Mrs. Margaret Mixon 

Mrs. Mary Gouverneur Mr. Daniel Haight 

Mrs. Charity Nelson Mrs. Jane Arden 

Mr. Harry Garrison Mrs. Sarah Woolstencroft 

Mrs. Rachael Garrison Mr. Henry De Rham. 

In 1843 the Rev. Robert Shaw succeeded to the charge 
of the parish, and we have the record of his work until 
1849: 



356 The History of St. Philip 9 s C hurch 

BAPTISMS. 



1843 



1844 



1845 



1846 



1847 



1848 



George Hopper 

i 

Daniel and Phoebe Tomp- 
kins 
Augustus Nelson 
James Garrison (Adult) 
Sarah Ann Jaycox (Adult) 

Frances Jane Hopper 
Henry Cushman Hopper 
Lerene Hows 

Robert Hopper 
Mary A. Parrott 

Mrs. Mary Nelson (Adult) 

\ 

Justus Austin 



Richard Beverly Arden 
Samuel Cogswell Nelson 

(Adult) 
Samuel Mandeville Nelson 
Henry Parrish Folson 

Elizabeth Jenkins (Adult) 
Mary Ann McCormick 



Henry Arden 

Mrs. Ellen Austin (Adult) 



1849 



Louise S. Pierson (Adult) James Lennox Huggins 

MARRIAGES. 



1843, Dec. 27th. 

1844, Feb. 18th. 

1845, Dec. 20th. 

1846, Jan. 10th. 
1848, Apl. 1st. 



1843 Sept. 20th. 

1844 Aug. 4th. 
1845 



William Augustus Hows to Margaret 

Nelson. 

Thomas H. Austin to Ellen Nelson. 

Cyrus Van Tassel to Alisa Weeks. 

Cornelius Turner to Esther Currey. 

James Sparks of Peekskill to Lydia 

Garrison, daughter of James Garrison. 

BURIALS. 

Mrs. Sarah Rosseter 
John W. Jaycox 
Anne Croneyn. 



The Parish Register 357 

1846 Frances, daughter of R. D. Arden. 
James Henry Garrison, son of Judge 
John Garrison. 

1847 Samuel Gouverneur (Warden). 

1848 Mrs. Lydia De Peyster, mother of 
Mrs. T. B. Arden. 

Mrs. Elizabeth Jenkins. 

Mrs. Mary Gouverneur, widow of 

Samuel Gouverneur. 

1849 Mrs. Jane Arden, wife of Thos. B. 
Arden. 

John Bishop, aged 93 — a soldier of the 
Revolution. 
Mary Brown. 
Julia Belcher. 

CONFIRMATIONS. 

1841 

Margaret Williams James H. Garrison 

Mary A. Arden *Mrs. Hopper 

[*This was the first confirmation after St. Philip's 
became an independent parish.] 

1843, Oct. 15th, by Bishop Onderdonk: 

Sarah Arden Reuben Turner 

Richard Hopper Maria Turner 

Peter Bross 

1847, Sept 19th, by Bishop De Lancey: 

James Garrison Elizabeth Shields 

Thomas B. Arden Hannah Garrison 

Sarah Haight Jane Nelson. 

1849, June 18th, by Bishop Whittingham: 

Elizabeth Person Louise S. Nelson 

Thomas H. Austin Ellen Austin 

Mary Jane Barton. 



358 The History of St. Philip 9 s C hur ch 

It is worthy of note that Thomas H. Austin is the 
oldest living communicant of the parish. He has pre- 
served unbrokenly his association with St. Philip's for 
sixty-two years. 

The following is a copy of the Parish Register of 
baptisms, marriages and funerals from 1852 to the pres- 
ent day. The gaps in years are accounted for by the 
absence of any rector in the parish. 



BAPTISMS. 



1852: 

Alexander Austin 
Almira Jenkins 
Georgian a Devoe 
Melissa Hopper 
Alice Hopper 
Fannie Devoe 
Elizabeth Garrison f 

1853: 

Joel Jenkins 
Isaac Jenkins 
Charles Jenkins 
Ezra I. Nickerson 
Seymour Crozier 
Edgar Crozier 
Peter Crozier 
Lydia Jenkins f 
Mrs. Deoef 
Henry Crozier 
Susan Turnerf 
Sarah Devoe 
James Nelson 
Jacob Nelson 



Washington Irving Tenike 
Matilda Geron 
Elizabeth Geron 
Charlotte Geron 
William Monroe 
Martin I. Monroe 



Stephen Nelson 
John Nelson 
Sarah Louisa Miller 
John Miller 
Harriet Turner 
Matthias Turner 
Alby Jane Bloomer f 
Benjamin Turnerf 
Thomas Austin 
Sarah Ann Turner 
Jane Currie 
Sarah Williamson 
William Maguire 
Adria Devoe 



t Adult. 



The Parish Register 



359 



1854: 

Louisa Stephania Hopper 

Abraham Austin 

Sarah Catherine Tomp- 
kins 
1856: 

Frances Sebastian Pecke 

Eveline Valentine 

Edwin Valentine 

Francis Austin 

Susan Jeanette Wood 

1857: 

Parmela Bailey 
Patia Philips Bailey 
Joseph Smith Bailey 
Cortlandt Valentine 
Mary Frances Hopper 
Adelina Meeks 
Melissa Meeks 
Anne Meeks 

Mary Elizabeth Van Tas- 
sel 
Samuel John Turner 



1858: 



Mary Elizabeth Tompkins 
Mary Esther Belcher 
Mary Philipse 
David Austin 
Emma Austin 
Elizabeth Tompkins Nel- 
sonf 



1859: 



Eleanor Tompkins 
Margaret Tompkins 
Guy Evans Huse 



David Wood 
George Wood 
Samuel Wood 
Isaac Wood 
Sarah Jane Jackson 

Evelyn Turner 
Eveline Turner 
Franklin Edgar Pierce 

Turner 
Charlotte Selina Turner 
Laetitia Turner 
Orrin Cables 
Emma Dora Conclin 
Anna Weir Young 
Phebe Clarissa Woodf 



Rebecca Austin f 
Hannah Turner f 
Mary Eliza Turner 
Mary Jane Garrison f 
Mary Warren 
Henrietta Warren 



John Van Tassel f 
Ames Cables 



Catherine Curry 



t Adult. 



360 The History of St. Philip's Church 



1860: 

Mary Elizabeth Hopper f 
Hannah Maria Van Tassel 
Lewis Mead Van Tassel 
William Henry Curry 
Anna Ellida Maguire 
Mary Ellen Weller 
William Boothroyd Weller 
James Weller 
Sarah Weller 
Matilda Tompkins 
Mary Emma Meeks 
Seymour Allen Hopper 
Charles Hamilton Bross 
Martha Ann Garrison 
Henry Elisha Belcher 
William Wilson McRonald 
Nellie Lent 

1861: 

Catharine Amelia Currie 
Glorvina Hoffman 
James McCoombs 
Sarah Elizabeth Warren 
Mary Augusta Chapman 
Mary Elizabeth Devoef 
May Catherine Gilbert 
Benjamin Gilbert 
John Gilbert 

Mary Elizabeth Van Tas- 
sel 
Rachel Van Tassel f (born 

1776) 
Delia Abbey f 



Lewis Turner 

Ida Madora Cables 

Abby Cables 

Mary Elizabeth Austin 

James Henry Turner 

Mary Currie f (born in 

1792) 
Mary Ann Curriet 
Hannah Esther Currie f 
Francis Waters f 
Emma Augusta Nelson 
Elizabeth Adeline Nelson 
Harriet Elizabeth Denike 
Eleanor Amelia Denike 
William Henry Miller 
James Albert Miller 



Darling Hoag 
Frederick Lent 
Cyrus Van Tassel 
Charles Gilbert 
Anne Melia Gilbert 
Fillimore Austin 
Edward Alonzo Nelson 
Sarah Jane Nelson 
Amelia Frances Ryan 
Clara Livingston 
Sarah Jane Turner 
Lydia Currie 

Catherine Wadsworth Phi- 
lipse 



t Adult. 



The Parish Register 



361 



1862: 

Harriet Brossef 
Harriet Gertrude Hopper 
Frederick A. Hopper 
Fannie Clara Homerf 
Franklin Leef 
Charles Edward Bunte 
Emaline Denike 
Susan Elvira Denike 
John Jacob Denike 

1863: 

Anna Weller 
Catherine Kanef 
James W. Robinson 
George Miller f 
Susan Currief 
Jane Van Tassel f 
Mary Susan Turner 
Mary Austin f 
Loretta Turner f 
Effeline Conklinf 
Hannah Jane Conklinf 
Mary Jenet Garrison 
William Henry Galloway 
Catherine Ann Jenkins 

1864: 

Sarah Monnetf 
Sophia Hogg 
Sarah Lavinia Young 
William Henry Young 
Minerva Jane Young 
Mary Elizabeth Young 
George Washington Young 
Sarah Melissa Mason 
Margaret Lavinia Mason 



William Mitchell Vail 

Hoffman 
William Jeny Denike 
Emma Louisa Denike 
Sarah Ann Galloway 
Charles William Brosse 
Jenie Winnie Denike 
Phebe Chapman f 
Edward Meeks 

Horace Cables 
Howard Cables 
Frederick Cables 
Lavinia Cables 
Clara Gilbert 
Sarah L. Denike 
Isaac James Van Tassel 
Maria Miller 
Ivons Miller 
Darius Juston Miller 
Ellsworth Miller 
Emma Lavinia Austin 
Margaret Ann Agnes Shein 
Eleanor Louisa Hoffman 

William McCoombs 
Melissa Denike f 
Margaret Jane Cables f 
Mary Jane Moffatf 
Adele Margaretta Landi 
Margaret Gouverneur Phi- 

lipse 
Anna Mitchell Upjohn 
James Henry Austin 



t Adult. 



362 The History of St. Philip's Church 



1865: 

Hester Robinson f 
Emma Jane Galloway- 
John Warren Garrison 
Ellen Josephine Austin 
Margaret Turner f 
Mary Frances Valentine 
Arthur James Valentine 
Minerva Valentine 
Charles William Valen- 
tine 

1866: 

Eliza Guilbert 

1867: 

Emory J. Turner 
John Robinson 
Nelson Robinson 
Samantha Walsh 
William Hogg 
James W. Guilbert 
Lavinia Turner 

1868: 

Elizabeth Ann Shields 
Julia Carrie Meeks 
Mary Achley 
George Alansen Jenkins 
Arden Post 

William Livingston Rob- 
inson 
Phebe Augusta Galloway 
Annie Arden Mason 
Walter Denike 



William Terwilliger 
Eleanora Turner 
Henry Melville Deronda 
John William Deronda 
Carrie Deronda 
David B. Jenkins 
George Edgar Deronda 
Ann Eliza Youngs 
Charlotte Louisa Brosse 



Aaron James Mason 

George Edward Debevoise 
Randolph Foster Debe- 
voise 
Cecilia Denike 
Laura Denike 
Susan Elizabeth Miller 
Emily Dunn 

Christina Miller 
Abraham Miller 
Samuel Miller 
George Mowatt 
William Eshleman 
Jenie H. Austin 
Michael James Van Voor- 

his 
Thomas Samuel Youngs 



t Adult. 



The Parish Register 



363 



1869: 

Mary Van Tassel f 
Lucy Van Tassel 
Willie L. Miller 
Franklin T. Miller 
Margaret A. Miller 
Mary Hannah Mo watt 
Walter Scott Skein 

1870: 

Eliza Jane Angove 
Mary Symonds Angove 
Laura Angove 

1871: 

Nehusty Guilbert 
Caroline Galloway 
Carrie Augusta Adams 
Nancy Ellie La Forge 
Lucy Adelaide La Forge 
Joseph Nelson f 
Thomas Boyle Arden 
Nelson Haightf 
Foster Dewitt Germond 
George William Austin f 
Ella Frances Miller f 

1872: 

Charles Trewella 
Walter Benjamin Brosse 
Victoria Osborne 
David Maguire Miller 

1873: 

Emma Louisa Harriet 

Garrison 
Emily Grey 
Elizabeth Gardner 



Julia Wood 
Willie Robinson 
Willie Mowatt 
Elizabeth Hogg 
Mary P. Johns 
Harry P. Johns 



Harriet Isabel Hall 
Alexander Maccon 



James William Keenan 
Minnie Meeks 
William John Trewella 
Joseph Trewella 
Mary Trewella 
Alfred Trewella 
Theodore Eugene Vail 
Rosella Van Voorhis 
James Francis Galloway 
Carry Trewella 



Mary Elizabeth Allman 
George Brown Jaques 
Lillie May Ellis 
Minnie Turner 



Elvin C. Griffin 
James W. Griffin 
Joseph V. Meeks 



f Adult. 



364 The History of St, Philip 9 s C hur ch 



1874: 

Charles Mills Upjohn 
Elijah Elmore Mekeel 
Marion Joel Jenkins 
John Wilbur Jenkins 
Stewart Beverly Jenkins 
William Perry Austin 
Delaphine Alice Ellis 
Thomas Richards 
Catherine Denikef 
Mary Elizabeth Denikef 

1875: 

Robert L. Meavery 
James Upjohn 
William Youngs f 
John Lorillard Arden 



1876: 



Georgiana La Forge 
Julia Gilbert 
Florence Renward 
Benjamin John 
Marcia Price 
Edward Ellis 
Katharine Croft 
Ada Adelinda Mason 
Arthur Fairfield Austin 



1877: 



William Tompkins f 
Arthur Heddy 
Minnie Heddy 
James Edward Heddy 
Matilda Heddy 
John Allen 
Mary Allen 
William Allen 



William Henry Denikef 
Helen Elizabeth Denikef 
Webster Eaton Denike 
William James Denike 
Frederick Skene 
Peter Osborne 
Dora Julia Haight 
Alida Haight 
Lily Jane Haight 



Fanny Beach Upjohn 

Ruth Williams 

George Potter Matthews 



Amy Jane Ferris 
Phebe Hannah Curry 
Viola Gillett 
Henry Vaughan Gillett 
James Henry Ratillac 
William Alexander Nelson 
Ida Margaretta Rosskelly 
Hobart Brown Upjohn 



Maria Smith 
May Evelyn Denike 
William John Dinnis 
William Charles Hoskins 
Arthur Turner 
Elizabeth Raymond 
Cora Louise Bean 
Kate Opie 



f Adult. 



The Parish Register 



365 



1877: 

James Varcoe 
Mary Emma Colvin 
Clarissa Colvin 
Bernardina Colvin 
William W. Light 
John Horner 
Sherman Turner 
James Edward Turner 
Charles Henry Turner 
Edward John Thomas 
Frederick Wilton Bean 
Kate Bean 

1878: 

Adele Spalding 

Sarah Elizabeth Wilson 

Mary Ann Wilson 

1879: 

Albert Gray Jenkins 
David Austin Heustis 
Annie Elizabeth Austin 
John Ernest Wood 
Laura Homer 
Minnie Hopper 
William Hopper 
Richard Hopper 
Richard Benjamin Turner 

1880; 

Samuel Ireland f 
Charles Henry Ellis 
William Beverly Rogers 
Alonzo Hadden 
Anna Evelyn Hadden 
Eugene Heddey 
George Heddey 



Susan Opie 
Emily Opie 
Elizabeth Opie 
Cora Lewis 
William John Haight 
Charles Henry Haight 
Rina Ellis 
Florence Tangye 
Lily Keenan 
Virginia Keenan 
Holly Wilberforce Wells 



Joel Minerlee Wilson 
Henrietta Wilson 
Margaret Jane Mcavery 

Margaret Elizabeth Turner 
Charles Augustus Bross 
Charles Rapello Hender- 
son 
Emily F. Sherman 
James Everett Reid 
Josephine Outhouse 
Lilly Robinson 
Thomas James Mcavery 

Lillie Heddey 
Julian Irving Leroy 
Marian Hadden f 
Francis Julian Jenkins 
Mary Elizabeth Outhouse 
Florence Louisa Mason 



t Adult. 



366 The History of St. Philip's Church 



1881: 

John Outhouse f 
Frances Mary Maguire 
Susan Mary Schollderfer 
Samuel Carleton Rush 
Preston Jenkins 
Jennie Mabel Austin 
Charles Hamilton Austin 
William Henry Austin 
Minnie Elizabeth Robinson 

1882: 

Edward Willis Mclvor 
Kitty Mclvor 
Mary Luella Hendricks 
Jesse Frances 

1883: 

Violet Mabel Rogers 
Stuyvesant Fish 
Albert Ellis f 

1884: 

Jane Louisa Schollderfer 
Chauncey Smith 
Edmund Smith 
Levi Tuttle 

1885: 

Cicely Julia Monica North- 
cote 
Frances Livingston 

1886: 

Bertha Lowensberry Mil- 
ler 

1887: 

Charlotte Smythe 
David Curry t 



Howard Cyrus Robinson 
Grace Robinson 
Jeremiah Robinson 
Caleb Heustis 
John Julian Trimble 
Hamilton Fish Austin 
Newman Hadden 
Laura Keenan 



Frederick William Ells- 
worth 
Virginia Sturges Osborn 
Maria Antoinette Sherman 

Julia Keenan 

Frederick Foster de Rham 



Alexander Perry Osborn 
Ann Alida Maguire 
Maggie May Austin 
Anna May Heustis 

Robert Armstrong Liv- 
ingston 



Emily Rosalind Fish 
Raymond Austin 



Ethel Schollderfer 



f Adult. 



The Parish Register 



367 



1888: 

Hugh Hamilton Stafford 

Northcote 
Charles de Rham 
Ellen Josephine Austin 
John Edward Denike 

1889: 

Sara Arden Cheesman 
Charles Brown 

1890: 

Howard James Hoffman 
Anna Jane Hoffman 
Bertha May Hoffman 
George Vernon Hoffman 
Minnie Etta Hoffman 
Ellsworth Tuttle Smith 
Arthur Graham Paul 
Justus Austin f 
Thomas Paul 
Francis Irene Marshall! 

1891: 

Maria Virginia Haightf 
Albert Wright Haight 
Kittie Alida Haight 
David G. Haight 
Ellen Mills 
Frederick Smith 
Stanley Smith 
Emma Avery f 
Kate Riley | 
May Gillette 
Frederick Ralph Haight 

1892: 

Samuel Sloan Colt 



Elizabeth Maguire 
William Smith Livingston 
Charlotte Alicia Thomp- 



son 



Dorothy Fuller Thompson 



Edith Marshall 
William Marshall 
Edmund Marshall 
Charles Marshall 
Betsy Edna Denny 
Josephine A. Osborn 
Emma Louisa Keenan 
Margaret Paul 
Howard Paul 



John Van Tassel 
Laura Van Tassel 
Josephine Van Tassel 
Lillie Van Tassel 
George Van Tassel 
Benjamin Van Tassel 
Ernest Bogart 
Samuel Bogart 
Charles Frederick Bogart 
Elsie Hoffman 



Aileen Clinton Hoadley 
Osborn 



t Adult. 



368 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 



1893: 

Jennie Louise Wood 

Walter Ray 

Bertha 

Florence Denike 
1894: 

Frederick Gore King 

John La Forge 

Olive Louise Garrison 

Edward Meeksf 

Timothy Matlack Cheesman 
1895: 

Alfred Irildf 

Dora Julia Haight 

Minnie Dibbell 
1896: 

Edmund Alonzo Hadden 

Raymond Hay Smith 

Robert Jaycox 

Isaiah Jaycox 

James Jaycox 

Estelle Jaycox 

Ethel Maud Jaycox 

John Homer Haight 
1897: 

Alma Evelyn Hansen 

Florence May Jaycox 
1898: 

James Frederick Cutler 

Richard Edsall Trevorah 
1899: 

Niles Croft 

Francis Underwood Perry 

Hazel Frances Archie 

Edith Hope Archie 



Gertrude Weltha Sharp 
James Henry Dibbell f 
Helena Livingston Fish 
Helen Esther Cables 

George Galloway f 
Dorothy Austin 
Kenneth Hansen 



Gurdon Saltonstall Osborn 
Samuel Sloan Walker 
Julia Frazier 

Elvira Haight 
William Francis Jaycox f 
Dorothy Elizabeth Catler 
Jesse Maguire 
Catherine D. Colt 
Alice Ruth Heustis 
William Warren Nelson 



Frederic Allan Haddon 
Kate Cheesman 

Robert William Thomas 
Barclay 

Beatrice Crawford 
Nettie Hadden 
Marian Evelyn Hadden 



t Adult. 



The Parish Register 



1900: 

Elizabeth Denike 
Gladys Mary Homer 
Helen Frances Schollderf er 

1901: 

John Albert Homer 
Gladys Henrietta Moir 

1902: 

Mabel Jenkins 

1903: 

Ruth Sofia Berger 
1904: 

Nellie May 

1905: 

Howard Jackson Rose 
Henry Irving Wood 
Cordelia Elizabeth Rose 
Thomas Frederick Rose 
Samuel Douglas Vander- 
mark 

1906: 

Eleanor FitzGerald 
Leroy Montross Landy 

1907: 

Gertrude Hunter 
William Nelson Lewis 
Albert Joseph Jenkins 

1908: 

John Montross 
Elsie Montross 
Harriet Montross 



Lucy E. Trevorah 
Azelmaie Marilla Lewis 
Grace O'Brien Moir 

Robert Joseph Trevorah 



Louis John Frank 



Jesse Emma Croft 

David Jordan f 

Edwin Russel Trevorah 

Francis Bertrand Jenkins 



Philip Harris Uhlig 
Charles Harold Lewis 

James Henry Griggs f 
Ethel Elizabeth Rose 
Ellen Compton 

Edward Freeman 
Julia Ann Benjamin 
Margaret Germond 



t Adult. 



370 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

1909: 

Helen Bickelf Benjamin West Frazier 

William Laurence Breeze Laurits Cheristian Eiby 

Elizabeth Germond Harold Emil Eiby 

Harold Le Roy Valentine Gordon Thomas Paul 
Irving Carlton Valentine f 

1910: 

William Hoffman Benja- Garrett D. Vandemarkf 

min Hamilton Fish Breeze 

Stewart Robinson f Raymond Decker Lewis 

Maud Emeline Polhemus Helen Marion Bellf 
Rudolf Crystal Hussing 

1911: 

Peter Stuyvesant Fish Richard Dana de Rham 

MARRIAGES. 

1856, July 29th Rev. John Henry Hobart Brown — 
Anna Coombs Upjohn. 
[Mr. Brown became Bishop of Fond 
du Lac in 1875.] 

1860, Dec. 9th Silas Wood— Anna B. Eckert 

1861, Jany. 29th John Lyons— Mary McKaney 
Feby. 4th Edgar Tirwilliger — Elizabeth Porteus 

1862, July 3rd Peter Nelson Devoe — Fannie Clara 

Homer 

1863, Feby. 10th William D. Garrison — Emma Louisa 

Taylor 
Dec. 22nd John Wood — Mary E. Wilson 

1865, June 15th Lester L. Mosley — Isabelle H. Kecler 

1866, Feby. 13th Rev. Richard Bayley Post— Eliza 

Dean Arden 

Sept. 6th George W. Miller — Emma Augusta 

Nelson 

Dec. 24th Othniel Eshleman — Phebe Ann Tom- 
pkins 

t Adult. 



The Parish Register 371 

1867, Oct. 10th James Hill — Josephine Gardner 

1868, June 10th John A. Van Vorhis — Sarah Cathe- 

rine Tompkins 
Aug. 5th George Dorrington — Jane Mary Ann 
MacHenry 

1870, Dec. 26th Joel Miller — Ann Alida Maguire 

1871, Oct. 5th Benjamin Travis — Hannah Jane 

Conklin 
Dec. 13th Albert Ellis — Margaret Tompkins 
Dec. 14th Samuel Hamilton— Mary Ann Hus- 
ton 

1872, Mar. 2nd Morgan Osborne — Sarah Ann La 

Forge 
Sept. 30th John R. Nelson— Elizabeth Budds 

1873, Apr. 17th John Henry Iselin — Mary Philipse 

Gouverneur 
July 18th Edward Nelson Austin — MaryPolina 
La Forge 
1876, Dec. 29th George de Forest Baxton — Anna 
Dudley Ward 

1878, Aug. 31st Edward Higgins, Jr.— Kate Harris 

1879, Jan. 19th Charles Marcus Odell — Martha Jane 

Gray 
Aug. 10th George Mackey — Minnie Elizabeth 
Duell 

1880, Mar. 30th George Schollderfer— Ella F. Miller 
Apr. 28th Samuel Rush — Lavinia Atkinson 
July 15th Hezekiah Ellwood Radiker — Jane 

Churton Gordon 
Nov. 22nd Walter Paul — Emma Frances Austin 

1881, June 19th George L. Hall— Matilda Tompkins 
Sept. 21st George Naylor — Cora Annie Leroy 

1883, June 6th Hugh Oliver Northcote — Edith Liv- 

ingston Fish 
Sept. 9th Thomas Albert Vanvoorhis — Kate 

McCarthy 



372 The History of St. Philip' s Chur ch 

1883, Nov. 15th Frederick B. Amerman — Annie Lou- 

ise Meeks 

1884, Apr. 2nd James Moore — Annie Louise Belcher 

1885, Oct. 14th George Wallace — Josephine Austin 
Nov. 15th George Mowatt — Josephine Out- 
house 

1886, Oct. 12th Charles Judson Bogter — Amy Ferris 

1887, Sept. 15th Arthur Thompson — Charlotte Brosse 

1888, June 24th Sherman Higgs — Mary Duell 
Sept. 4th William John McLaren — Mary Em- 
ma Meeks 

Nov. 14th William Hamilton — Constance Ann 
Gurley 

1889, Sept. 5th JohnRenolds Totten — Elma Preston 

Van Voorhis 

1891, June 20th George Wallace — Mary Clark 

1892, Apr. 28th William Whitehill— Emma Paul 
1894, Mar. 11th Alonzo fiadden, Jr. — Jeanette Star 

Mar. 11th Peter Hansen — Eveline A. Hadden 

Oct. 27th Hay Smith — Antoinette Haiter 

Nov. 27th Kenneth Frazier — Julia Fish Rogers 

1897, June 5th Robert Barclay — Isabella May wood 

Oct. 30th Frederick Bloomfield Hibbard— 

Alida Van Deusen 

Dec. 31st John Henry Eyes — Caroline Lewis 

1899, Apr. 5th John Homer — Alice May Rixon 

1901, Dec. 15th Irvine Hamilton — Laura Homer 

1902, Mar. 31st Fillimore Austin — Dora Haight 

1903, Mar. 14th Thomas Paul — Elizabeth Grahame 
Oct. 3rd Harold Fitzgerald — Elinor Fitzgerald 
Oct. 28th Gustave Henry Uhlig, Jr. — Kather- 

ine Elizabeth Frank 

1904, Feby. 18th David Jordan— Eliza I. Miller 
Dec. 11th Irving Odell — Minnie Barsanella 

1905, Feby. 23rd William Whitehill— Jennie Taylor 
Sept. 19th John W. Stowe — Justine Hammond 



The Parish Register 373 

1906, Feby. 8th Charles H. Sherrill— George Barker 
Gibbs 

1908, Apr. 11th William Besley Savage, M.D. — 

Adele Louise Ingersoll 

1909, July 21st Terence Patrick King — Grace Ethel 

Lewis 
Sept. 12th Alexander Buchanan — Jean Cowie 

1910, July 14th Stuyvesant Fish, Jr.— Mildred Dick 
Oct. 22nd John W. Cutler — Rosalind Emily 

Fish 
Nov. 29th Rev. John McVickar Haight — Elsie 
Harper Stanton 

1911, Aug. 3rd David Maguire Miller— Paula The- 

resa Christensen. 

BURIALS. 

The earliest gravestone in the churchyard is dated 
1793, but no burials are recorded in the parish register 
until 1836. The funeral records are blank again until 
1843 when they continue until 1849, and re-commence 
in 1854 as follows: 1 



1854, Sept. 15th 


Christopher Haight (Vestryman). 


1855, Feby. 8th 


Martha Ann Belcher. 


Feby. 11th 


Mary Nelson. 


Nov. 28th 


Cornelius M. Nelson (Vestryman). 


1856, Oct. 13th 


Mary H. Smith. 


1857, Jan. 29th 


John L. Lent. 


Oct. 31st 


Margaret Dominick Garrison 


1858, Feby. 16th 


Jacob Lent (Schoolmaster and Ves 




try man) . 




Francis Austin. 




Mary Elizabeth Tompkins. 


1859, July 4th 


Jane Arden. 


1860, May 30th 


Martha Garrison. 



1 The date here recorded is the day of death. 



374 The History of St. P hilip 9 s C hurck 

1861, Jan. 26th Joseph James Taylor. 
July 12th Sarah Hodges. 

Sept. 30th Cyrus Van Tassel. 

Nov. 5th Elizabeth Garrison. 

Nov. 8th Hannah Garrison. 

Nov. 26th Nancy Hopper. 

1862, Jan. 5th Thomas Arden. 
Jan. 6th M. Philipse. 
Mar. 24th Hannah Currie. 
Oct. 5th Joseph Smith Bailey. 
Nov. 9th James Garrison. 
Nov. 21st Eveline Turner. 
Dec. 26th Mandevill Nelson. 

1863, Mar. — Rachel Van Tassel 
Mar. 21st Patia Bailey. 

July 25th Margaret Jane Cables. 

Sept. 16th Maria Haws Lent (widow of Jacob 

Lent). 

Nov. 4th Emma L. Austin. 

1864, Feby. 14th William McCoombs. 
Oct. 9th Hannah Turner. 
Dec. 9th Mary Susan Turner. 

1865, Jan. 5th Ellen Tompkins. 
Jan. 30th James Nelson. 
Mar. 7th Jane H. Austin. 
Mar. — Horace Cables. 
Mar. 22nd William Dumont. 

July 17th Richard Dean Arden (Vestryman). 

Sept. 27th Susan Elizabeth Deronda. 

Dec. 6th Peter Bross (Vestryman). 

1866, Jan. 24th Mary Currie. 
July 12th Helen Huggins. 
Sept. 14th Sophia Porteus Hogg. 

1867, Feby. 12th Emory I. Cramer. 
Feby. 12th Lily B. Smith 
June 3rd Sarah Haight. 

July 24th George E. Moore (Vestryman). 



The Parish Register 375 



1867, Aug. 6th 


David McGuire, Sr. 


Nov. 3rd 


John Garrison (Warden). 


Dec. 19th 


Minnie Lavinia Harvey. 


Dec. 25th 


Sarah L. Denike. 


Dec. 28th 


Emma Augusta Miller. 


1868, Feby. 13th 


Emaline Miller. 


May 12th 


Susan Elizabeth Miller. 


May — 


William Henry Youngs. 


June 15th 


James Arden. 


Dec. 9th 


Annie Arden Mason. 


1869, June 19th 


Catharine Wadsworth Philipse. 


July 23rd 


Harriet Gertrude Hopper. 


Oct. 27th 


Jane L. Miller. 


Dec. 10th 


Mrs. William Hoffman. 


1870, Jan. 24th 


Phebe Ann Tompkins. 


July 29th 


Helen Arden. 


Dec. 28th 


John Bliss Miller. 


1871, Jan. 12th 


Lavinia Turner. 


Apr. 27th 


Joseph Nelson. 


Sept. 5th 


Sarah Brosse. 


1872, Feby. — 


Arthur Turner. 


Apr. 19th 


Nelson Haight 


Apr. 27th 


Nathaniel F. Moore, LL. D. (Ves- 




tryman and sometime President of 




Columbia College.) 


May 3rd 


Rebecca Austin. 


June — 


Maria McCloud. 


Aug. 7th 


Minnie Turner. 


1873, July 31st 


Frederick G. Denike. 


Sept. 12th 


Michael Laquish. 


Nov. 28th 


Rachael Lent. 


Dec. 26th 


Hannah Laquish. 


1874, Oct. 26th 


Frederick Philipse (Warden). 


1875, Mar. 17th 


Josephine Turner. 


Mar. 28th 


Minnie B. Meeks. 


July 2nd 


Frederick Sturges Osborn. 


Aug. 14th 


Sarah Van Voorhis. 



376 The History of St. Philip's Church 

1875, Dec. 18th Matthias Turner. 

1876, Jan. — Harold Dichel. 
Jan. 15th James McCavery. 
Jan. 29th Rachel Ann Mason. 
May 25th John Flavel Lent. 
June 16th Ann Clague. 

June 29th Morgan Dahlgren. 

July 5th Mary N. Lester. 

Aug. 16th Charles Wm. Bross. 

Sept. 8th James Henry Ratillac. 

Dec. 18th S. M. Warburton Gouverneur (Ves- 
tryman) . 

1877, June 4th Julia Elizabeth Hall. 
July 26th Frederick Wilton Bean. 
Sept. 20th William Tompkins. 

1878, July 21st Maria E. Denike. 

Aug. 17th Richard Upjohn (Vestryman). 

Sept. 29th Mary Wilson. 

Oct. — Thomas Skene. 

1879, Apr. 28th Richard Turner. 
July 14th John Rhodes Denike. 

1880, Feby. 29th Elizabeth Haight. 
Mar. 16th Hamilton Fish Rogers. 
July 18th Samuel Ireland. 

Aug. 12th Charles Henry Ellis. 

Sept. 18th William Smith. 

1881, Apr. 27th Frank Starr. 
July 15th Susan E. Denike. 
Aug. 24th Caleb Heustis. 
Nov. 13th Laura Reenan. 

1882, Feb. 28th Moses Taylor Belcher. 
Mar. 2nd Elizabeth Upjohn. 
Aug. 17th Clarence Gardner Cole. 
Oct. 9th Harvey Lent. 

1883, July 1st Dr. Beverly Livingston. 
Aug. 23rd Sarah N. Garrison. 
Sept. 20th Josephine Nelson. 



The Parish Register 377 

1884, Feb. 18th Susan Miller. 

Apr. 1st Elizabeth d'Hauteville Benjamin. 

Aug. 4th Esther Belcher. 

Oct. 1st Elizabeth. Turner. 

Nov. 20th Mrs. William Tompkins. 

1885, Jany. 31st Violet Mabel Rogers. 
Mch. 2nd James McCoombs. 

May 26th Colonel George de Peyster Arden. 

July 15th William Moore (Warden). 

Oct. 5th Marian Haddon. 

1886, Feby. 5th Phebe Jane Garrison. 
Apr. 12th Mrs. George Wallace. 

Apr. 15th Colonel Samuel N. Benjamin, U. S. A. 

July 23rd Anna M. Arden. 

Nov. 19th Mary Lent. 

1887, Mar. 14th David Curry. 
Mar. 16th Margaret Ellis. 
June 30th Julia Kean Fish. 
July — Mrs. John Hopper. 

Dec. 19th Edith Livingston Northcote. 

1888, June — George F. Garrison (Vestryman) . 
Aug. — Mrs. Anna Miller. 

Nov. — William Price. 

Dec. — Laura Gertrude Benjamin Brooke. 

1889, Nov. — Mrs. Martha Denike. 

1890, Apr. 30th Frances Maguire. 
July 21st James Mason. 
July 24th Lizzie Pollock. 
Sept. — EllaEllir. 

Oct. 9th Ethel Schollderfer. 

Oct. 16th Elizabeth Maguire. 

Nov. 15th Ethel E. Austin. 

1891, Mar. 27th Amy Duryee. 

Mar. 31st Margaret Elizabeth Pane. 

June 29th Emma Louisa Garrison. 

Sept. 10th Louis Montgomery Cheesman. 

1892, Jany. — William Allman. 



378 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 



1892, Jany. 11th 


Mrs. Margaret Philipse Moore. 


Mar. 9th 


Edwards Pierrepont. 


Mar. — 


John Hopper. 


Mar. — 


Maria Virginia Haight. 


Sept. — 


Arthur Thompson. 


Oct. 25th 


Henry W. Belcher (Warden). 


Nov. 11th 


Ellen Duer Wilson. 


Dec. 2nd 


William D. Garrison (Vestryman). 


1893, Mar. 4th 


Mary Janette Garrison. 


Apr. 3rd 


Joel D. Jenkins. 


May 2nd 


Timothy Matlack Cheesman, Jr. 


June 25th 


Mary Gouverneur. 


Sept. 7th 


The Hon. Hamilton Fish, LL. D 




(Warden.) 


1894, Mar. 2nd 


William Henry Osborn (Vestryman) . 


Mar. 12th 


Anne Jane Brosse. 


May 19th 


Edward Meeks. 


May 21st 


Charlotte Alicia Thompson. 


Aug. 8th 


Timothy Matlack Chessman, Jr. 


Oct. 29th 


Mary Jane Garrison. 


Nov. 21st 


Francis Armstrong Livingston (Ves- 




tryman). 


1895, Jany. 3rd 


William Nelson. 


Mar. 8th 


Georgiana de Peyster Dumont. 


May 25th 


Alfred Fields. 


June — 


Mrs. Samuel Wood. 


July 13th 


John H. Iselin (Vestryman). 


1896, Feb. — 


Hannah Garrison. 


Mar. 13th 


Gurdon Saltonstall Osborn. 




Mrs. Robert Turner. 


Aug. — 


Colonel Thomas Boyle Arden (War- 




den). 


Sept. — 


Dorothy Elizabeth Cable. 


1897, Mar. — 


Mrs. James Turner. 


May — 


James Turner. 


June 1st 


Susan Duryee. 


Sept. — 


Mrs. Miller. 



The Parish Register 379 



1898, June 24th 


Hamilton Fish, Jr. (killed in battl 


Sept. 23rd 


John M. Toucey (Vestryman). 


Nov. 1st 


John Cummings Cheesman. 


1899, Feby. 22nd 


Grace Osborn. 


Mar. 15th 


Emily Mann Fish. 


Apr. — 


Evelyn Honsen. 


May — 


Laura de Rham. 


May 10th 


Annie Buckley. 


July — 


Frederick Hodden. 


Aug. 15th 


Jesse Austin. 


Aug. — 


David Jenkins. 


Sept. 3rd 


Maria Louise Auchincloss. 


1900, Apr. — 


Emma Cables Austin. 


Apr. 28th 


Sarah Livingston. 


Aug. — 


John Denike. 


Sept. — 


Susan M. Weir. 


1901, May 9th 


Katharine Hopper. 


Dec. 23rd 


Abraham Kerns Arnold. (General 




U. S. A.) 


1902, Feby. 7th 


Virginia Sturges Osborn. 


Feby. — 


James H. Diblee. 


Apr. — 


John Albert Homer. 


Aug. — 


Catharine Curry. 


Sept. 16th 


Nicholas Fish. 


Oct. — 


Jacob Newell. 


Oct. 11th 


Margaretta Pierrepont. 


Dec. — 


George Miller. 


Dec. 29th 


Warburton Gouverneur Iselin. 


1903, June 25th 


Sarah Jane Benjamin. 


Sept. 17th 


Emma F. Schollderfer. 


Oct. 19th 


Emma Whitehill. 


Dec. — 


Nicholas C. Thompson. 


1904, Feby. — 


Earl Grigg. 


May 15th 


Lizzie Heustis. 


May 22nd 


Helena Fields 


July 29th 


Fillmore Austin. 


Dec. — 


Harvey Gilbert., 



380 The History of St. P hilip' s C hurch 

1904, Dec. — Elizabeth Ellen Auchincloss. 

1905, Feby. 13th Hetty Coolidge Haight. 
May 26th Eliza King Belcher. 
July — Hay Smith. 

July 24th Donald Butler Toucey. 

1905, May — Charles Hamilton Shepard. 
Aug. — Cordelia Elizabeth Rose. 

1906, March 6th Rosalie Lewis. 
May 18th Laura de Rham. 

1907, Aug. 21st William Nelson Lewis. 
Aug. 26th John H. Eyes. 

Sept. 22nd Samuel Sloan (Warden). 

1908, Jan. 31st Edward H. Duryee. 
Mar. 30th William Edward Kenney. 
Aug. 25th Mary Butler Toucey. 
Oct. 3rd Henry Arden. 

Oct. 6th General Louis Fitzgerald. 

George Jenkins. 

Dec. 5th Julia Kean Benjamin. 

Dec. 23rd Edward Freeman. 

Mrs. Nicholas Fish. 

1909, Jan. 20th Susan Le Roy Rogers. 
Feb. 23rd Charles de Rham (Warden). 
June 22nd Elizabeth Germond. 

Sept. 21st Aaron Mason. 

Sept. 25th Elizabeth B. Nelson. 

Oct. 26th Euphemia Kneeland Haight. 

1910, Mar. 5th Norris Haight. 

Mar. 21st Richard Beverly Arden. 

Apr. 26th Ellen Austin. 

May 4th Edgar S. Auchincloss. 

July 25th David Maguire. 

Aug. 1st Dora Haight. 

Aug. 7th Catharine Jane Denike. 

Nov. 12th Richard H. Austin. 

Dec. 8th Conreid Thorsell. 



The Parish Register 381 

1911, Apr. 14th William James Kirk. 

May 6th Emily Fisher Maguire. 

Oct. 5th Mary Louisa Hoffman Nickerson. 

Oct. 27th Seymour Hopper, Jr. 

Nov. 30th Annie Ryan. 



SUPPLEMENTARY LIST OF BURIALS 

In order to make the list of burials as complete as 
possible the following are copied from the gravestones in 
the churchyard; although not recorded in the Parish 
Register. Many of the interments took place before 
any record was kept; others were not recorded owing 
to there being no Rector, or for other cause: 



1793 




1802 




July 11th, 


Sulvenus (Sylvanus) 


Jany 15th, 


Donald McQueen 




Nelson 1 


1803 




1795 




Feby 21st, 


Justus Nelson 3 


Jany 21st, 


Maria Haight 


1804 




Aug 18th, 


Harry Garrison 


March 9th, 


Salley Budd 4 


1798 




Nov 11th, 


Delius Ann Garrison 


Feby 16th, 


Hannah Nelson 


1805 




1799 




Nov 29th, 


Robert Allen 


April 16th, 


Anna Lancaster 


1809 




1800 




March 25th 


, Christopher Fowler 


Feby 6th, 


Melancton Smith Gar- 


1810 






rison 


June 1st, 


Mary Watson 



■ 19th, Margaret Swan August 21st, John Griffin 

1 Seventh child of Justus and Mary (Haight) Nelson; born March 16th, 
1769. Died unmarried. 

2 Wife of Jacob, son of Joshua and Sarah (Mandeville) Nelson. 

3 Seventh and youngest son of Francis Nelson; born February 21st, 1737. 

4 Wife of Underhill Budd. 

5 Born July 22nd, 1718. Prior to 1768 was the tenant on the Beverly 
home farm, and in 1777 rented a farm on the Robinson Lot No. 1 at £2.15.0 
per annum. 

6 Married Abigal Barrett who died October 13, 1831. 



382 The History of St. Philip's Church 



1811 




1828 




Jan 3rd, 


Cornelius Nelson 


Feby 12th, 


Jane Garrison 


1812 




April 5th, 


Elizabeth Baxter Nel- 


April 14th, 


Jacob Nelson 1 




son 


May 31st, 


John Watson 


Oct. 5th, 


Martha Haight 


1815 




1829 




Nov 21, 


Catharine Warren 


Feb 15th, 


Esther Bloomer 


1816 




June 25th, 


Joseph Haight 


Nov 3, 


Mary Ann Merins 


July 1st, 


Ruth Selleck 


1817 




Dec 26th, 


Janette Thompson 


Dec 14, 


Joshua Nelson 


1830 




1819 




March 21st, 


Hiram Lent 


April 30, 


Sally M. Tilletson 


" 29th 


, Mephiboseth Nelson 


June 24, 


Phebe Nelson 


July 13th, 


William A. Mead 


1821 




Sept 10th 


Jacob Thompson 


Mar 5, 


Betsey J. Nelson 


1831 




1822 
April 1, 






Elizabeth Watson 
James Nelson 


Martha Haight 


Aug 6th, 


1823 




Sept 20th, 


Lucy Lee Watson 


July 2, 


Emeline Haight 


Oct 13th, 


Abigal Griffin 


Aug 16, 


Sarah Nelson 2 


1832 




Oct 21 


Cornelius Nelson 


April 12th, 


Martha Warren 


1824 




1833 




May 1 


Justus Warren 3 


Sept 12th, 


Samuel C. Nelson 


June 28, 


Sophia Tilletson 


1834 




1825 




Sept 15th, 


Christopher Haight 


March 2, 


Nathan S. Selleck 


Oct 13th, 


Richard Hopper 


April 2 


Cyrus Nelson 


" 26th 


Sylvanus Haight 





Martha Garrison 


1835 




April 10, 


Katharine Nelson 


Feby 1st, 


Stephen Nelson 


Dec 20, 


Abraham Jenkins 


" 2nd, 


Phebe Nelson 


1827 




" 15th, 


Hannah Austin 


June 23, 


Lieutenant Joel Jen- 


1836 






kins 4 


Jany 27th, 


Sarah Ann Dusenbury 


Sept 30, 


Sarah Dorsett 


April 25 th, 


Jacob Denike Jr 



1 Born 1761; son of Joshua and Sarah (Mandeville) Nelson. 

2 Daughter of Jacob Mandeville. Born November 7, 1736. Married 
Joshua Nelson, January 2, 1754. 

3 Eldest son of Peter and Catharine (daughter of Justus Nelson) War- 
ren. Married, January 12, 1820, Amy, daughter of John Griffin. 

4 "A worthy of the Revolution." 

5 Daughter of Joshua Nelson, born June 23, 1769. Married June 9, 
1785, Harry Garrison. 



The Parish Register 



383 



1836 
Oct 14th, 
" 19th, 
1837 
Sept 1st, 
Dec 30th, 
1839 
March 1st, 
" 30th, 
April 10th, 
" 12th, 
Dec 9th, 
1840 
May 4th, 
Sept 7th, 
Oct 23rd, 

1841 
Jany 3rd, 
July 17th, 
" 27th, 
" 28th, 
Dec 12th, 
1842 
Feby 28th, 
Sept 4th, 
1843 
March 22nd, 
" 30th, 
April 10th, 



Emely Nelson 
Sidney Mead 

Captain John Warren 1 
Mary Jane Tilletson 

Adah Raymond 
Alexander H. Nelson 
Jane Nelson Shephard 
Jacob P. Nelson 
Susan Davenport 

Isaac D. Finch 
Justus Miller 
Captain Hy Haldane 
Jr. 

Cornelius Nelson 2 
Jacob Denike 
Isaac Nelson 
Ellen Nelson 
Jacob Nelson 

Chloe Nelson 3 
Daniel Haight 

Thomas Hy Shephard 
John Cronk 
Margaret S. Williams 4 



1844 
Aug 9th, 

1845 
May 2nd, 
Aug 6th, 
Sept 6th, 
8 11th, 

1847 
Nov 29th, 

1848 
March 14th, 
" 17th, 

1849 
July 31st, 

1850 
Dec 10th, 

1851 
Feby 1st, 
Dec 17th, 

1853 
Sept 10th, 
Nov 2nd, 

1854 
Jany 19th, 

1855 
May 19th, 
Sept 21st, 

1856 
June 15th, 

1858 
April 24th, 



Edward Griffin 

Ann Cronyn 
Harry Garrison 
Rosalie Watson 
Jane J. Nelson 

James Thompson, Sr. 

Elizabeth Jenkins 
Dr Walter Watson 

Seth Griffen 

Jemima Curry 

Elizabeth A. Nelson 
Justus Nelson 

Samuel Austin 
Sarah Warren 

Israel Jenkins 

Joshua Turner 
Joseph H. Conklin 

Harriet Turner 

Lydia W. Garrison 



1 Born in the Highlands March 15th, 1765; eldest son of Samuel and 
Esther (Rogers) Warren. Baptized February 22nd, 1767. Married, 1783, 
Sarah, daughter of Justus Nelson. (For full account of the Warren family 
see Journal of the Rev. Silas Constant, pp. 434-521.) 

2 Born February 25th, 1758; eldest son of Justus and Hannah (Wright) 
Nelson. 

3 Wife of Cornelius, and daughter of Nicholas Budd by his wife Phebe 
Covert. Born June 28th, 1766. 

4 Born in Scotland; wife of the Rev. Ebenezer Williams. 

5 Born March 17th, 1780. Son of Justus Nelson by his second wife, 
Phebe, widow of Nicholas Budd. Married Laetitia, daughter of Joshua 
Horton. 



The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 



1858 




1876 




Sept 30th, 


William Lester 


Dec 18th, 


Matthias Turner 


1862 




1877 




March 1st, 


Effie Griffen 


Sept 4th, 


John Griffin 


1862 




1880 




Aug 4th 


Sarah E. Hoffman 


April 28th, 


Richard Turner 




Peter Hoffman 


1881 
Aug 26th, 




1863 


Gale H. Hustes 


Feby 18th, 


Amy Lecompte 


1886 




July 12th, 


David N. Austin 


Sept 16th, 


Elizabeth J. Shephard 


Oct 10th, 


Chas. A. Turner 


1887 




" 16th, 


Sharlett S. Turner 


Feby 3rd, 


Elizabeth McCombs 


Nov 29th, 


William McCombs 


1889 




Dec 28th, 


Mary E. Turner 


Mar 10th, 


Euphemia Jenkins 


1867 




1890 




June 4th, 


Sarah Haight 


Jany 10th, 


Walter Paul 


1868 




Nov 25th, 


Charity Jaycox Nel- 


Jany 23rd, 


Laetitia Nelson 1 




son 2 


July 1st, 


John Thompson 


1893 




1873 




Aug 7th, 


Jane McCartney 





George Donnington 


1895 




Oct 17th, 


Elizabeth Ross 


June 9th, 


Emma F. Turner 


1874 








Nov 3rd, 


Abraham Austin 








CONFIRMATIONS. 





1852, Sept. 8th: 

By Carlton Chase, Bishop of New Hampshire. 

Presented by the Rev. David E. Barr. 
Eliza D. Arden George Garrison 

Margaret Garrison William Garrison 

Fannie Devoe John Hopper 

1853, May 16th: 

By Bishop Wainwright of New York. 

Presented by Rev. David E. Barr. 
Janet Austin James Nelson 

Devoe Jacob Nelson 

Sarah Garrison Joseph Upjohn 

1 Born February 23rd, 1785; daughter of Joshua Horton and wife of 
Justus Nelson, 2nd. 

2 Wife of Cornelius Mandeville Nelson. Died in the 99th year of her age. 



The Parish Register 



385 



Susan Turner 
Lydia Jenkins 
Abby Jane Bloomer 
Frances Maguire 
Benjamin Turner 

1856, July 12th: 

By Bishop Horatio Potter. 
Nathan F. Whiting of 
West Point. 



1858, July: 

By Bishop Horatio Potter. 
Presented by the Rev. Dr. Joel Clap. 



John Miller 

Elizabeth Garrison (infirm 

— in private) 
Mary Nelson (infirm — in 

private) 






Mrs. Eliza Belcher 
Mrs. Mary J. Young 
Mrs. Mary J. Garrison 
Phebe Ann Tompkins 
George Arden 
Mrs. Catherine Currey 



Mrs. Phebe C. Wood 
Mrs. Euphemia Jenkins 
Samuel Turner 
Mrs. Mary J. Turner 
Hannah Turner 
Laetitia Turner 



1861, May 1st: 

By Bishop Horatio Potter. 

Presented by the Rev. Charles Frederick Hoffman. 



Robinson Hopper 

Patia Bailey 

Joseph Smith Bailey 

Hannah Turner 

Louisa Ash 

Jane Lowry 

Francis Miller 

Mary Gilbert 

Sarah Catherine Devoe 



Georgiana Devoe 
Harry Arden 
Hannah Currie 
Mary Currie 
Sarah Warren 
Rachel Van Tassel 
Jesse Austin 
Peter Mellvill 



1862, May 1st: 

By Bishop Horatio Potter. 

Presented by the Rev. Charles Frederick Hoffman. 
Delia Mead Catherine Elizabeth Bunte 

Harriet Lee Sarah Brosse (in private) 



The Histbry ofSt. Philip 9 s Church 

Sarah Tompkins Mary Hannah French 

Fannie Clara Homer (from West Point) . 

Mary Eliza Turner 

1863, May 1st: 

By Bishop Horatio Potter. 

Presented by Rev. Charles Frederick Hoffman. 

Effaline Conklin Ann Dickinson 

Hannah Jane Conklin Catherine Van Tassel 

George Miller Loretta Turner 

Lydia Currie Mary Austin 

Emma Augusta Nelson David McGuire 

Matthias Turner Susan Miller 

Elizabeth Turner Jane Miller. 
Thomas Austin 

1864, May 4th: 

By Bishop Horatio Potter. 

Presented by the Rev. Charles Frederick Hoffman. 
Mary Jane Moffatt Sarah Monnet 

Rachel Ann Mason Eliza McCoombs 

Melissa Denike Margaret Jane Cables 

1865, May 1st: 

By Bishop Horatio Potter. 

Presented by the Rev. Charles Frederick Hoffman. 
Margaret Austin Mary Philipse Gouverneur 

Efeline Valentine Annie McGuire 

Mary Ann Williamson 

1869, Aug. 29th: 

By Bishop Horatio Potter. 

Presented by the Rev. Charles Frederick Hoffman. 

George A. Iselin (from S. Helen Huggins (from As- 

Mark's, New York) cension, N. Y.) 

Harriet Denike Charles Frederick Hoff- 
Ella Denike man, Jr. 

Joel B. Austin Laura Isabel Hoffman 



The Parish Register 387 

Alwildy F. Austin Margaret Price 

Othiniel Eshleman John Price 

David McGuire Charles Colver 

Michael Laquish Abram Austin 

Josephine Mason Moses Belcher 

Mary Elizabeth Mason Margaret Tomkins 

1870, Aug. 14th: 

By Bishop Horatio Potter. 

Presented by the Rev. Charles Frederick Hoffman. 

William Walker John Bliss Miller 

George Colver Hannah Laquish (in pri- 

Adalina Meeks vate) 

1871, May 31st: 

By Bishop Horatio Potter. 

Presented by the Rev. Charles Frederick Hoffman. 

Robert Potter Ella Francis Miller 

David Austin George William Austin 

Robert William Chute Holmes 

1872, Aug. 31st: 

By Bishop Horatio Potter. 

Presented by the Rev. Charles Frederick Hoffman. 

George Price William Lewis Calver. 

1876, July 16th: 

By Bishop Horatio Potter. 

Presented by the Rev. Albert Zabriskie Gray. 
Emmeline Denike Matilda Price 
Susan Elvira Denike Martha Ann Garrison 
Phebe Hannah Jenkins Catharine Wadsworth Phi- 
Amy Jane Ferris lipse 
Mary Emma Meeks Phebe Cornell 
Annie Meeks Elizabeth Underhill Floyd- 
Caroline Meeks Jones 
Emma Frances Turner George Matthews 



The History of St. Philip's Church 



1877; 



By Bishop Horatio Potter. 

Presented by the Rev. Albert Zabriskie Gray. 



Mary Wigham 

Margaret Gouverneur Phi- 

lipse 
Catharine Ann Jenkins 
Joel David Jenkins 
Thomas Jefferson Stevens 
Frederick James Hall 
Cora Louise Bean 



Fillimore Austin 
Clara Livingston 
William Tompkins 
George Shoulder 
Mary Newall Bean 
James Courtney 
Elizabeth Haight 



1879, July 20th: 

By Bishop Seymour of Springfield, 111. 
Presented by the Rev. Albert Zabriskie Gray. 



Mary Frances Valentine 
Emma Frances Austin 
Ella Josephine Austin 
Matilda Cruikshank Skene 
Margaret Anna Skene 
Mary Jeannette Garrison 
Kate Diamond 



Mary Elizabeth Heustis 
Harvey Lent (aged 84) 
Charles Augustus Brosse 
Ann Jane Brosse 
John Robinson] 
Wallace Homer 



1880, Nov. 7th: 

By Bishop Horatio Potter. 

Presented by the Rev. Albert Zabriskie Gray. 

Edith Livingston Fish Josephine Outhouse 

Edith Wugham Grace Diamond 

Mary Eliza Outhouse Lucy Smith 

Mary Elizabeth Hopper Seymour Allen Hopper 

1884, Oct. 19th: 

By Bishop Henry Codman Potter. 

Presented by the Rev. Walter Thompson. 
John Garrison Elizabeth Haddon 

Emma Louise Garrison Charlotte Brosse 

Julia Meeks John C. Nelson 



The Parish Register 389 

1889, June 14th: 

By Bishop Henry Codman Potter. 

Presented by the Rev. Walter Thompson. 
James Austin Benjamin Nelson 

George Garrison Benjamin Brosse 

Joseph Meeks Harriet Brosse 

Charles Nelson 

1891, May 22nd: 

By Bishop Henry Codman Potter. 

Presented by the Rev. Walter Thompson. 

Albert Haight, Jr. Justus Austin 

Alexander St. Clair An- Mrs. Charles Paul 

derson Mrs. Aron Mason 

Nellie Mary Austin Laura Homer 

Ruth Alida Haight Mary Rixon 

Kate Riley Mrs. John Denike 

William A. Nelson Mrs. William Maguire 

Sarah Jane Gillette Mrs. Edward Denike 

Emma Avery Minnie Warren 

Mrs. Fillimore Austin Mrs. George Miller 
Mrs. Albert Haight 

1892, June 10th: 

By Bishop Henry Codman Potter. 

Presented by the Rev. Walter Thompson. 
Edward Denike Bertha Schmidt 

John Denike Anna Austin 

Jacob Newell Alice Rixon 

Eliza Newell 
1896, May 29th: 

By Bishop Henry Codman Potter. 

Presented by the Rev. Walter Thompson. 
Grace Lewis Susan Scholderfer 

Florence Mason Jesse Mclvors 

Francis West Isabella Allen 

Samuel Wood David Heustis 

John Homer James H. Dibbell 

Francis Maguire Frances Webb 



390 The History of St. Philip' s C hurch 

1899, Apr. 23rd: 

By Bishop Henry Codman Potter. 

Presented by the Rev. Carroll Perry. 

Mrs. William Buckley Annie Buckley 

John Curtis Nellie Allen 

Alexander Stephens Katherine Archie 

Terence King May Gillette 

Fred Allen Anna Heustis 

Frank Middleton Richard Rixon, Jr. 

1899, July 10th: 

By Bishop Leighton Coleman of Delaware. 

Presented by the Rev. Carroll Perry. 
Mrs. Norris Haight Mrs. Hodden 

Janet Fish Virginia Osborn 

Julia Fish 

1901, May 12th: 

By Bishop Henry Codman Potter. 

Presented by the Rev. Carroll Perry. 
Mrs. Archie Minnie Trevorah 

Mrs. Garry Vandermark Annie McGuire 

Tenny Archie Jennie Scholderfer 

Sadie Buckley Robert Haight 

Margaret Middleton Joseph King 

1903, June 25th: 

By Bishop Coleman of Delaware. 

Presented by the Rev. Carroll Perry. 
Bessie Trevorah Louise S. Carroll 

Martha Jane Trevorah Clara Cheesman 

Louise Trevorah Sara Cheesman 

1905, June 13th: 

By Bishop Henry Codman Potter. 

Presented by the Rev. Carroll Perry. 
David Jordan Durol Haight 

Howard Rose Betsy Denny 

Frederick Haight Edna Birkins 



The Parish Register 391 

1908, May 1st: 

By Bishop Courtney late of Nova Scotia. 

Presented by the Rev. E. Clowes Chorley. 

Aaron Mason (in private) James Whitehill 

Albert Jenkins John Haight 

Frank Jenkins Irene Maguire 

Kenneth Chorley Bessie Scholderfer 

Lewis Davis Winifred Ford Chorley 

Tom Davis Malvina Haight 

John Allen Mrs. Frank Davis 
James Griggs 

1909, Oct. 19th: 

By Bishop David H. Greer. 

Presented by the Rev. E. Clowes Chorley. 
Thomas Paul Irma Davis 

Cuthbert Taylor Irene Birkins 

Henry Hussing Bertha Blasier 

Irving Carlton Valentine Helen Bickel 

Nelson Lewis Mabel Roff 

Mrs. Nelson Lewis Minnie Dibbell 

1910, Nov. 1st: 

By Bishop Lucien Lee Kinsolving 
Presented by the Rev. E. Clowes Chorley. 
Helena Livingston Fish Veronica Julia Frazier 

1910, Dec. 8th: 

By Bishop Greer. 

Presented by the Rev. E. Clowes Chorley. 
Natalie Bell Susan Mosher 

To those who can read between the lines these records 
present features of surpassing interest. They bear 
ample witness to the faithful and devoted pastoral ser- 
vice of men who now "rest from their labors," and inci- 
dentally they show the wear and tear of church life in a 
country parish. The vast majority of families here 
recorded have been lost to the parish by removal or death. 



392 The History of St. Philip's Church 

If any justification were needed for the missionary 
work which St. Philip's has maintained faithfully for 
nearly fifty years it would be found in the list of bap- 
tisms. In eight years the Rev. Charles Frederick 
Hoffman baptized seventy persons at the chapel, and an 
unusual number of them were adults. It was no un- 
common thing to receive whole families into the Church 
by Holy Baptism. 

On September 16th, 1873, the following remarkable 
record stands in the list of baptisms, 

George Washington Williams, 14 years. 

Belcher Williams, 2 years. 

Emma Williams, 4 years. 

Betsy Williams, 5 years. 

Emma Williams, 1 year. 

Phoebe Wells, 9 years. 

Amelia Wells, 7 years. 

Annie Wells, 2 years. 

Marzara Wells, 5 years. 

Trinity Wells, 6 years. 

Elizabeth Wells, 7 months. 

Eleven baptisms, at which the Rev. Wm. F. Morgan, 
D. D., a summer resident, officiated! The Rector of the 
parish, the Rev. C. F. Hoffman, adds this interesting 
note to the record: 

The following account has been given to me of this 
remarkable occurrence: The Rev. Dr. Morgan, who 
was staying temporarily at Garrison, was passing 
along the road near the rectory gate when he was ac- 
costed by a party of travellers or gypsies, who repre- 
sented themselves as Church of England people, going 
to England. Having asked if he was a clergyman, 
they requested him to baptize their children. Dr. 



The Parish Register 393 

Morgan, having said he would see the Rector, came 
to the rectory and finding he was absent and away 
from the parish (the travellers intended to leave in 
the afternoon), the parents and children having fol- 
lowed Dr. Morgan, he went into the church and 
baptized them. 

They went their way, but the end was not yet. On 
the 9th of October, 1875, there stands this entry in the 
register of baptisms: "Ruth, daughter of Thomas and 
Victoria Williams," with this note in the handwriting of 
the Rev. Albert Zabriskie Gray, "The same family of 
English wanderers baptized by the Rev. Dr. Morgan 
two years ago." 



APPENDIX. 



Note on Rev. Bernard Page. 

Some additional information has come to light in the manuscript 
records of the Claims of the American Loyalists, from which it appears 
that Mr. Page preached as a candidate for the parish of Wyoming, Pa., 
in 1771 and in August of the following year was appointed to the parish, 
by the Bishop of London. In December, 1775, he was Curate at 
Joppa, Md., where he remained for three months. He departed for 
England on the 23rd of January, 1777. Mr. Page claimed £500 for 
losses and service during the Revolution which claim was disallowed by 
the Commissioner on the ground of "insufficient evidence." (Amer- 
ican Loyalist MSS. Vol. L., pp. 360-371.) 

Additional Note on Political affiliation on the Manor of Cortlandt. 

The contemporary accounts are somewhat conflicting. It is stated 
under date of February 17th, 1775, as follows: "It is said that at least 
three-fourths of the people in Cortlandt's Manor, New York, have 
declared their unwillingness to enter into the Congressional measures." 
(Moore, Diary of the Revolution, Vol. I, p. 22.) 

Holfs Journal of March 2nd, 1775, comments thus on the foregoing 
statement: "There are not any of the landholders in said manor, except 
one C(orne) y, a miller, at Peekskill, and a few interlopers of his 
kidney, that are of that perverse sentiment. The proprietor of the 
manor of Cortlandt, together with all the other landholders except the 
above miller and his few adherent Tories are unanimous in favor of 
the Congress measure." 

Additional note on the Purdy family. 

The toryism of the Purdy family is illustrated in the following para- 
graph from Rivington's Gazette of April 20th, 1775: "March 28th — 
This evening was married at the White Plains, Westchester County, 
New York, Mr. Gabriel Purdy, youngest son of Mr. Samuel Purdy, to 
the agreeable Miss Charity Purdy, daughter of Mr. Joseph Purdy, both 
of that loyal town. What is particularly remarkable in the affair, is 
this, the guests consisted of forty-seven persons: thirty-seven of whom 
were Purdys, and not a single Whig among them" 



Appendix 

By the courtesy of Mr. H. H. Cammann, the Comp- 
troller, the following documents have been copied from 
the manuscript archives of the Corporation of Trinity 
Church. 

I. 

PETITION OF THE VESTRY TO THE COR- 
PORATION OF TRINITY CHURCH, 1795. 

We the Wardens and Vestry of the Protestant Epis- 
copal Church at Peekskill and in the Highlands beg 
leave to represent to the Rector, Wardens and Vestry 
of Trinity Church in the City of New York, the un- 
happy situation of our respective Churches. This 
being the seat of the late war they were nearly de- 
stroyed between the British and American armies — 
In consequence of the injuries we suffered both Pub- 
lic and private, we were rendered incapable, for many 
years, of doing anything towards repairing them; dur- 
ing which time we were repeatedly urged by different 
Denominations to embrace their respective modes 
of Worship and reconcile ourselves to their minis- 
trations. But firmly attached to the Episcopal 
Church, we could never be led to conceive it our 
Duty to forsake its interest. At length recovering 
ourselves in some measure from the calamities in 
which we were involved by the War, and anxiously 
solicitous once more of enjoying a form of Worship 
so well calculated to inspire Devotion, by our united 
efforts we so far repaired our respective Churches, 
altho' tottering to their fall as to enable us to use them 
for the noble purpose of Divine Worship. Besides the 
difficulties above mentioned, our Churches were 
loaded with a debt of several hundred pounds, which 
we have wholly and happily discharged. 



396 The History of St. Philip 9 s C hurch 

And now many raparations being essentially neces- 
sary to render them convenient, which we are un- 
able to make, we beg leave to solicit the charitable 
and humane assistance of that Church in New York 
whom we consider as our head and upon whom the 
bounties of Providence have been showered down in 
a rich profusion — Could we by any means possess our- 
selves of about two hundred pounds for each of our 
aforesaid Churches, we flatter ourselves it would 
enable us, with our own exertions, to make the neces- 
sary repairs and to hold a respectable rank in the 
Church of Christ in this Land — Whatever that 
Church to whom we respectfully make this petition 
shall see fit to bestow upon us for the purposes above 
mentioned, will be very thankfully rec'd, and grate- 
fully acknowledged and we are in duty bound should 
endeavour ever to maintain a just sense of the obli- 
gations we should be under for so timely and so 
truly needful aid and assistance. 

With the greatest respect we subscribe ourselves the 
Rector, Wardens and Vestry's devoted and most 
humble servants 

Silvenus Haight j Wardens . 
Caleb Morgan J 



Daniel Haight 
Isaac Devenport 
Isaac Mead 
Elijah Morgan, Jr. 
William Douglass 
Smith Jones 
Harry Garrison 

Peekskill 

Easter Monday 1795 

Jacob Nelson 
Clerk. 



Vestry Men 



Appendix 397 

II. 

LETTER OF WILLIAM DENNING TO 
REV. MR. HARGILL. 1 

Beverly in the Highlands, 

10 Sept 1795. 
Revd Sir 

It may perhaps not be amiss that I make a few re- 
marks to you upon the former and present state of the 
Corporation of the United Churches of S. Peters and 
S. Philips especially as from the frequent communica- 
tions I have had with you on the subject, it appears 
to me, you have been led to believe those congrega- 
tions are able to do more than they really are. When 
S. Peters was built near Peekskill so very unable were 
the Episcopalians to accomplish it that they called 
upon their friends of the Presbyterian congregation 
to assist them and promised that whenever the build- 
ing was unoccupied by the Episcopal Congregation 
that of the Presbyterian should have the use of it. 
This seems to have been well understood and con- 
ceeded by the Episcopalians. 

Some considerable time subsequent to this, S. 
Philips Church in the Highlands was built by sub- 
scription assisted by liberal donations from its Patrons, 
but even this was far short of finishing the Church 
on the inside tolerably decent. The people were then, 
as they are now, poor. The two Churches were 
however Incorporated, the Reverend Mr. Doty, 
Rector. Mr. Robinson to promote the establishment 
gave to the Corporation a farm about 200 acres on 
condition that they purchased and paid for the im- 
provements and built a house for the Rector. The 
improvements were purchased, the house built and 

1 There is no mention of Mr. Hargill in the parochial records. It 
probably refers to the Rev. Samuel Haskell. 



398 The History of St. Philip's Church 

the Rector moved into it. This involved a debt of 
between three and four hundred pounds with which 
the Corporation was incumbered when the late war 
began, and the farm was not to be granted till the debt 
was paid. 

A little previous to the War, the Rector, Mr. Doty, 
gave up his charge. During the War no regular wor- 
ship took place in either of the Churches and the 
interest of this weak and infant Institution seemed 
wholly abandoned. 

The Parsonage house was much injured by the 
troops, the timber on the farm entirely destroyed and 
not the vestige of a fence remained. 

S. Peters Church was much injured, S. Philips in the 
Highlands had nothing left of it but the floor and 
frame. The siding, floors and windows were all taken 
away carried to West Point and appropriated to pub- 
lic use; for the depredations last mentioned not one 
farthing has ever been allowed. For the destruction 
of Timbers and fences at the Parsonage house a sum 
has been received sufficient to clear the Corporation 
of the debt incurred as above mentioned, which en- 
abled the Corporation to apply to the Legislature for 
and obtain a grant of the farm agreeable to the 
original conditions. 

Thus stood matters relative to those Churches when 
a few friends met and consulted about repairing and 
opening them for the purpose of having the Gospel 
again preached to the people. For this pious and 
laudable purpose a subscription was set on foot, and 
altho the people appeared zealous, yet so inadequate 
was the sum subscribed, that the burthen fell on a few 
liberal patrons. 

St. Philips Church was decently repaired glazed and 
painted. The Parsonage clear and under some small 
repairs. In this state our little fund was exhausted. 
We have had no other assistance than the Congrega- 



Appendix 399 

tion, except from the worthy and pious Mrs. Ogilvie. 
The Congregations are unable to make further con- 
tributions at present. The people early anxious to 
have the Churches open, they have been gratified, 
but under very discouraging circumstances, particu- 
larly in their first essay of a preacher. The poverty 
& great inability of the people still keeps those united 
churches in a languishing state, & I assure you, Sir, 
that I am of the opinion the interest of Episcopacy 
would be greatly promoted by their being a little 
aided. I believe $1000 with what has been done would 
put this suffering institution in very compleat repair, 
and then with your own exertions I am sure it would 
become a respectable branch of our Church, and be 
found to merit the Patronage & protection of our Re- 
putable Clergy whose attention has been so often ex- 
perienced by other infant institutions and who do not 
yet know the state of the Corporation in question. 

I have also to suggest to you that we have an Epis- 
copal school in forwardness, the completion of which 
depends on further assistance. 

I am sorry to be obliged to tell you that there is no 
present prospect of any other or additional encour- 
agement to the Clergyman, so that the Farm as it now 
is, with the salary subscribed is all we have to offer, 
and you must be the best judge whether those are 
inducements sufficient for you to continue. You will 
however do me the justice to recollect that on your 
first application to me about those Churches I gave 
you no other encouragement than what the above 
statement would justify. I told you the Parsonage 
wanted repair and the farm fencing, that the whole 
sum to be expected from both congregations would 
not exceed from £75 to £100 per annum, this I be- 
lieve, you find literally true. 

I do not however despair seeing those people one day 
better able to support a Clergyman and also seeing 



400 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

the Corporation respectable, and perhaps if it was 
better known, it would have some able advocates, for 
which purpose I have no objection to your showing 
this statement to whom you may think proper. 
I am with great Respect & Esteem 

Your most Hble Svt 

Wm. Denning 
Reverend Mr. Hargill. 

III. 

LETTER OF WILLIAM DENNING TO 
BISHOP PROVOOST. 

New York 18 Jany 1796. 
Rev Sir, 

As great exertions have been made by the Congre- 
gations of the United Churches of S. Peters and S. 
Philips — the former situate near Peekskill & the latter 
in the Highlands, & the abilities of those congregations 
being still greatly inadequate to the repair of those 
Churches and the Parsonage to make them comfort- 
able, permit me to recommend them to the Patronage 
of the Corporation of Trinity Church, and that the 
gentlemen of the Vestry may judge of the necessities 
of the Corporation of the said United Churches I 
most respectfully intreat their indulgence in stating 
the former and present situation of the same. 

S. Peters near Peekskill was built by subscription 
and by liberal donations about 30 years ago. Some- 
time afterwards S. Philips in the Highlands was built 
in the same manner under the patronage of Beverly 
Robinson Esq., but neither finished within. They 
were incorporated by Governor Try on & the Rev. Mr. 
Doty chosen Rector. 

Mr. Robinson gave a farm of about 200 acres of 
land for a glebe on condition that the Corporation 
would purchase the improvements and build a house 



Appendix 401 

for the Rector. This was done but involved a debt 
which lay heavily on the Corporation & prevented 
a Deed being obtained from Mr. Robinson. 

At the commencement of the late War Mr. Doty 
moved away. The Parsonage house was occupied 
and greatly injured by the troops of the French 
Army, & S. Philips in the Highlands had the windows, 
the sidings, the floors taken away for the use of West 
Point, & nothing of it left but the Roof and the frame. 

In this situation the present Patrons found it and at 
great private expense repaired it, as not one farthing 
could ever be obtained from the public for its destruc- 
tion. 

The damages done however to the Parsonage & the 
farm was after the most assiduous pains, taken for 
that purpose, recompensed by a sum which enabled 
the Vestry to pay the debt above mentioned & obtain 
a grant from the Legislature for the Farm agreeable 
to the conditions stipulated by Mr. Robinson and the 
land is now the property of the Corporation. 

But the people are too poor either to compleat 
those Churches or to fence and repair the Glebe. It 
is needless to mention the exertions that have been 
made, from a disposition to promote this Episcopal 
Establishment, they have exceeded expectations after 
being so long abandoned. 

The Rev. Mr. Hargill is the present preacher at a 
salary from £75 to £100 a year which requires every 
exertion to compleat, but it is increasing and with due 
encouragement will soon amount to a much larger 
sum. Mr. Hargill however, will abandon those little 
Churches also unless the House and farm can be put 
in better repair. 

I am of opinion that $1000 added to what the people 
can do will put the Churches, the house and the farm 
in very comfortable repair, and I have reason to be- 
lieve that this infant Corporation will with some at- 



402 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

tention become a very respectable branch of the 
Episcopal Churches in this State and inspire the re- 
spective Congregations with great gratitude for this or 
any assistance afforded to them by the Corporation 
of Trinity Church. 

I conceive it a duty I owe to the exertions of those 
poor people to request the favour of you Sir, to lay 
this statement before the Vestry of Trinity Church. 
With great Respect 
Reverend Sir 

Your most Hble Svt 

Wm. Denning. 
The Rev 
Bishop Provoost. 



The following documents have been copied from the 
collection of MS letters addressed to the Rt. Rev. John 
Henry Hobart, Bishop of New York, and preserved in the 
archives of the General Convention of the Protestant 
Episcopal Church. 



COPY OF A PAPER FOUND IN THE HOBART LET- 
TERS AT THE CHURCH MISSIONS HOUSE. 

(Unsigned and dated 18th February, 1813.) 

State of the United Episcopal Churches, S. 
Philip's in the town of Philipse, County of Putnam 
(late Dutchess), and S. Peter's, in the town of Cort- 
landt, County of Westchester. 

S. Philip's Church is situate near the banks of the 
Hudson, nearly opposite West Point, and about mid- 
way of the Highlands. Is a small building on a very 
beautiful commanding rising ground, with two acres 
of land, and a small schoolhouse attached to it. 



Appendix 403 

S. Peter's is about 6 miles south of S. Philip's, and 2 
miles north of Peekskill. 

A few years previous to the Revolutionary War 
those churches were built, incorporated and a minis- 
ter, Mr. Doughty, took charge of the said incorpora- 
tion. The late Beverly Robinson Esq. having a 
wish to make this Establishment permanent, took 
Mr. Doughty and his wife into his own family until 
a Parsonage House and a Glebe could be furnished 
for a settled clergyman to live, and Mr. Robinson 
made a present to the Corporation of a farm of land 
lying on the then Post road, and belonging to his 
estate, containing upwards of two hundred acres, and 
with the aid of a subscription, built a good house 
thereon, to which Mr Doughty 1 removed. 

But the grantor, having delayed executing a deed, 
with the whole of Mr. and Mrs. Robinson's estate, 
became vested in the people of the State of New 
York. 2 

With Mr. and Mrs. Robinson's generous gift Wil- 
liam Denning was acquainted, and, with some others, 
joined in a petition to the Legislature (of which he was 
then a member) for a grant to the full extent of the 
first grant or intention. Some members of the Pres- 
byterian congregation however, entering a claim on 
the ground that the gift was designed for both denomi- 
nations, the grant was not obtained. But some time 
after, when by proving the Episcopal claim, a Law is 
passed for the grant, and it continues vested in this 
Corporation. 

One acre on which S. Philip's stood was in the same 
predicament with the Glebe when it fell within a 
location made by William Denning, to which he added 
another acre reserved to the Church for ever. 

1 Doty. 

2 The Glebe was restored to the parish in 1792. 



404 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

During the said War, S. Philip's Church, being in 
the vicinity of the armies, suffered greatly. Nothing 
of it remained but the frame and the roof. The floor, 
siding, doors and windows destroyed or taken away. 

The late Mrs. Ogilvie contributed generously which, 
with a very scanty aid from an indigent population 
and the residue furnished by William Denning, the 
Church was repaired; the floor laid, the siding, doors 
and windows replaced, a pulpit and altar erected, the 
church painted, and a small decent schoolhouse 
built on the premises. This was done in 1786. 1 
A few pews were erected by individuals, and tempo- 
rary seats of plank for the convenience of others. 

Several essays were made to establish a respectabel 
clergyman, but the sum subscribed held out indifferent 

encouragement to such. A Mr. officiated 

prior to his taking Orders; he stayed but a short time; 
then a Mr. Fowler, then a Mr. Haskell, and then a 
Mr. Warren, and long intervals entirely destitute. 
The present incumbent is the Rev. Mr. Urquhart. 

During the ministry of Mr. Fowler or Mr. Haskell 
the Corporation of Trinity Church extended its be- 
nevolent aid to those Churches, to what amount is not 
recollected, but suppose about five hundred pounds, 
with an injunction, however, that it should be in- 
vested in lands, the rents or usuries of which should 
be applied toward the support of the minister for the 
time being. 

William Denning's residence in the neighbourhood 
of S. Philips being only four months in the year, ren- 
dered it inconvenient for him to officiate as a member 
of the Corporation, and very unfortunately, those 
who had the care of the interest of those Churches, at 
the time of the gift, vested the money in lands since 

1 Almost certainly a clerical error for 1796. The first mention of the 
building of a schoolhouse occurs in the minutes of the Vestry in 1793. 
— E. C. C. 



Appendix 405 

proved to be incumbered by Mortgages, and will 
eventually lost to the Corporation unless the mort- 
gaged premises is bought in and the mortgage paid 
off, and to this end the Corporation is totally incom- 
petent. The land is said to be worth much more 
than the demand against it. 

The Glebe Farm is a very valuable tract of land, and 
its value increasing. It rents however at present for 
one Hundred dollars only. This, with subscriptions, 
maynowyieldtoMr. Urquhart about $300 per annum. 
The avails of the incumbered lot has failed entirely. 

Both the Churches want repairs. Under these 
circumstances, and the tardy collection of rent (owing 
to the tenant repairing the parsonage) the present in- 
cumbent, altho aided by a school, would have found 
it difficult to subsist last Fall, until Captain Philipse, 
William Henderson and William Denning contributed 
by gift to his relief. 

In December last, several members of the Vestry 
concurred in a scheme for selling the Glebe. The 
manner of the gift from Mr. and Mrs. Robinson, the 
obtaining a confirmation of that gift by a Law of the 
State, and a certainty of a future fund to the Churches, 
induced William Denning to oppose that measure of 
sale, and it is sincerely to be hoped it never will again 
be attempted. 

The Churches, as before observed, are nearly six 
miles apart. The Glebe and Parsonage House lays 
between; the population is increasing, and it is cer- 
tain that if the same was duly encouraged by the 
fostering care and attention of the Corporation of 
Trinity Church, and the Respectable and Reverend 
Body of the Clergy of the Episcopal Churches of the 
city of New York, those churches would no longer 
languish for want of encouragement, but become a 
respectable member of and acquisition to the Epis- 
copal interest in the State. 



406 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 

There is a good orchard on the Glebe, and it is under 
pretty good cultivation, and the Corporation is not 
in debt. 

The congregation has been greatly lessened by other 
denominations taking advantage of the paralised 
state the Churches remained so long without funds, 
and without a minister, but on arrival of its prosperity 
would soon recover those members and many others. 

It is much to be hoped that this statement of the 
real condition of those long neglected Churches, 
will induce an enquiry and attention that will tend 
to secure this beneficial Establishment to the Union 
of the Episcopal interest. 

The writer of this article has thought it his duty 
to make this representation, submitting it to the 
deliberation and wisdom of those to whom it is in- 
tended to be made known, the measures proper to 
be pursued. 
New York, 

18th February, 1813. 

II. 

LETTER OF HARRY GARRISON TO 
BISHOP HOBART. 

Pleasant Valley, 

Sept 3, 1813 

Dear Sir, 

As an application has been made to me this day for 

my signature in favor of Mr. , our late 

rector, for some assistance from Trinity Church in 
New York, I have thought it proper to state to you 
briefly my reasons for not putting my signature to 
that Instrument. 

In the first place, I will not be the means of de- 
ceiving your honorable Body for objects different 
from what they may at first appear, and there are 



Appendix 407 

reasons offered up in that certificate that may oper- 
ate unfriendly to our two churches here and at 
Peekskill. I have thought it my duty to state to you 
some of the reasons why we are so poor as set forth 
in the certificate above alluded to. The truth is, the 
present rector has conducted himself so far from what 
I conceive to be proper, that he has driven all his 
hearers from the church, and from the support of the 
same with a very exceptions, and from the face of 
the certificate you are to draw conclusions that all 
is right on his part, which is not the case. 

Yet, I am willing if the Officers of Trinity Church 

shall be disposed to assist Mr. to support 

his family, or to give him some aid, but not from an 
impression that he has done his duty here, and the 
congregation so poor that they can no longer support 
him — we are as able today to support a good rector as 
we were the first day he came to our place — but are 
not willing to pay him. 

Intemperance is a crime in common life, and a 
great one in the Clerical department. I am con- 
strained by motives of duty to make this representa- 
tion to you as the Head of our Church. If this man 
had shown amendment of life since his late miscon- 
duct, I should say, forgive him, but when I see the 
Minister administer the Holy Sacraments to his con- 
gregation, warning them of the consequences of re- 
ceiving the same unworthily, and before the sun sets 
of the same day, so far forget himself and the God who 
he affects to represent, as to make a beast of himself, 
and so intoxicated as to ly along the streets so drunk 
as not to be able to go, and the people pointing the 
finger of scorn at him — that man is a preacher of the 
gospel — how would your feelings recoil at such a sight, 
and what is to be expected from such a preacher? 

This is our situation, and now Sir, judge if I have 
done right or not. I pledge my honour for the 



408 The History of St. Philip 9 s C hurch 

truth of every sentence contained in this letter. I 
have had my doubts whether or not I ought to make 
this statement, but my friends, and the friends of the 
Church tell me I ought to do it. However, I confess 
if the certificate above alluded to had not been pre- 
sented to me, I should have held my peace on this un- 
pleasant and painful subject, for so it truly is to me. 
But if any part is denied I stand ready to make such 
proof as to put the matter beyond all doubt. I will 
then send a statement of facts under the oaths of as 
many persons as are necessary to prove the same to a 
demonstration. 

Mr. Henderson, the bearer, can state such things 
to you of my character as you can wish to know. 

I remain with Respect and Esteem, 
your obedient servant, 

Harry Garrison 

one of the Wardens. 

III. 

LETTER FROM THE REV. EDWARD J. IVES 
TO BISHOP HOBART. 

Peekskill, 

March 5th, 1827. 
Rt. Rev. and Dear Sir, 

I called at your house on Thursday last in order to 
see you upon business relative to my church; not 
finding you at home, I thought it best to commu- 
nicate to you in writing what I intended to say. 

In compliance with your request I came into the 
Parishes of Peekskill and Philipstown immediately 
after I had received letters of recommendation from 
you to the most influential and wealthy Episcopalians 
who professed to belong to them. 

I found the Church in a wretched, disorganized state, 
its former members strayed from the "true fold," and 



Appendix 409 

but very few left who nominally were Episcopalians, 
and these ignorant of the usages and institutions of 
their Church. 

Methodism and Calvinism and what not had led 
them into the paths of error and schism, and the 
general cry was "it is no matter what we are, so long 
as we believe in and agree the fundamental doctrines 
of Christianity." 

Lamentable to relate, this cry (to the injury of our 
Church) is made even among those who call them- 
selves Churchmen. These professions of charity on 
the part of Episcopalians are very pleasing in the ear 
of those who once persecuted us to the death, but who 
are now, from sinister motives, adopting a contrary 
course. 

But it affords me infinite pleasure in mentioning to 
you that the societies now under my charge are in a 
more flourishing state than what they were two or 
three months after I came here. 

The Church in the Highlands has been repaired 
since I came here. They raised a subscription to the 
amount of five hundred dollars to do it. It is now 
well finished, and has had an addition of five to ten 
communicants. 

The Church at Peekskill is out of repair and it re- 
quires about one hundred dollars to make it decent to 
meet in. 

I ask charity, and I hope it may not be refused 
since my people have exerted themselves thus far to 
restore what once might have been preserved to the 
honour and respectability of the Church by prudent 
and judicious management. But my salary is in- 
sufficient to support me. I must have assistance 
from some source, or relinquish the charge of these 
parishes. 

The object of my visiting you was, in part, to ask 
charity to support my little family. My salary for 



410 The History of St. Philip* s C hurch 

the ensuing year is to be only $300 — a little more if 
they may get it — a scanty pittance indeed. The situ- 
ation would do very well for a man without a family, 
but a person having one could not meet his annual 
expenses — unless this should become a sphere for mis- 
sionary labour — and a very important one it would 
make. 

Could I not, Dear Sir, obtain (through your assist- 
ance) a more eligible situation? 

Is Mr. Crosby to remain at White Plains? 

Is the present clergyman to remain in New Bedford 
and North Salem? I ask these questions, indulging 
the belief, that you will afford me all the assistance 
within your power. 

Another object in visiting you was to obtain your 
advice with regard to the disposal of the Parsonage. 
At the last parish meeting the officers of my church 
resolved to dispose of it, provided it met with your 
approbation, and Judge Garrison was authorised to 
address you on the subject — the same as he says he 
has done, and has not yet received an answer to his 
letter. 

The annual avails from the Farm do not exceed 
$100, and part of this is to be appropriated to repairs 
on it. It will command (it is supposed) when offered 
for sale three or four thousand dollars. Is it not best 
to dispose of it, and invest the amount in safe and 
permanent stock in N. Y.? 

I wish for your advice on this subject, as soon as 
you can conveniently communicate it to me, and any 
further assistance from you, Rt. Rev. and Dear Sir, 
would be gratefully appreciated by your sincere friend 
and 

Obt Svt, 

Edward J. Ives. 

Rt. Rev. J. H. Hobart, 



APPENDIX ADDENDA. 



Additional note on Beverly Robinson. 

Since going to press the original manuscript of the Minutes of the Com- 
mittee before which Colonel Beverly Robinson was summoned has been 
discovered amongst the archives preserved in Washington's Headquarters, 
Newburgh, N. Y., and they are here transcribed by the courtesy of the 
Trustees. 

Feb 22, 1777. Beverly Robinson Esq appeared before the Committee 
appointed by the Convention of the State of New York 
for enquiring into Detecting and Defeating all con- 
spiracies that may be framed against the Liberties of 
the Same and the Board of Commissioners appointed 
by the Convention for the same purpose. 
Present 

John Jay Esq 

Judge Graham 

Natha Sackett members of committee 

Colonel Swartwout 

Egbert Benson 

Malancton Smith Commissioners. 

he was interigated in the following manner Vizt 
Mr Jay — Sir, you having observed an Equivocal neutrality thro' the 
course of your conduct the Committee is at a Loss to know 
how to Rank you 
Mr Robinson — Sir it is True, at first I offered my Servis to the pub- 
lick but they Did not think it proper to Chuse me 
Since which Time I have made my Self Prisoner on 
my farm in order to keep my self from a necessity of 
expressing my sentiments. 
Mr Jay — Sir, your son has gone to New York to the enemy 
Mr Robinson — No, Sir, he is gone to Long Island 
Mr Jay — Sir, the Committee is informed that when your Son was 
about Taking a Commission you was much Displeased at it . 
Mr Robinson — I was not Sir but I believe that the committees through 
their Severity have made a Great many Tories for it 
is natural when a man is hurt to kick 



412 The History of St. Philip' s C hurch 

Mr Jay — Sir, we have passed the Rubicon and it is now necessary 
every man Take his part, Cast off allegiance to the King of 
Great Britain and take an oath of Aliegiance to the States 
of america or Go over to the Enemy for we have Declared 
ourselves Independent 
Mr Robinson — Sir, I cannot Take the Oath, but should be exceeding 
Glad to stay in the Country, to enable me to stay in 
the Country, and expecting that there would be a great 
Deal of Trouble about the forts in the Spring I have 
already sent some of my Goods farther Back in the 
Country to patersons (Paterson) and I should be Ex- 
tremely unhappy in being obliged to go over to the 
enemy for I have no way to mentain my family there 
but I have here. If I go to the enemy can I carry 
with me any of my effects? it is very uncertain who 
will Rule yet for the matter is not determined. 
Mr Jay — yes, Sir, undoubtedly you can carry your effects but we 
Dont Desire you Sir to give your answer now we would 
Chuse that you Should take time to Consider of the matter 
before you give your answer for I can assure you Sir with- 
out flattery we should be exceedingly happy to have you 
with us 

(mr Benson then Laboured much to Shew mr Robin- 
son the propriety of the measures and the great pleas- 
ure it would give us, to have him with us) 
Mr Robinson — how long before I must give my answer a Day or Two 
Mr Jay — no Sir, you need not hurry your Self you can Take a month 

or Six weeks 
Mr Robinson — you Gentlemen are not Ingaged on Sundays, will you 

come and see me one Sunday 
Mr Jay — I am obliged to you Sir but I dont Expect to be here long 
Mr Benson — I am much obliged to you Sir and will Do myself the 
Pleasure of coming to see you one Sunday 
Mr Robinson then (retired) 

N. B. — This manuscript record was presented to Washington's Head- 
quarters by the late Colonel Isaiah Townsend. 



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416 The History of St. P kilip* s C hur c h 



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418 The History of St. Philip 9 s Church 



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420 The History of St. Philip's Church 



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INDEX TO PERSONS. 



N. B. — This index does not include names in the 
Parish Register save when those names are men- 
tioned elsewhere in the book. 



Acres, Mr., 241. 

Addenbough, Captain, 153. 

Allen, Mary, 227, 252. 

Anderson, Rev. Canon, 84. 

Andre\ Major, 118, 139, 140, 141 
170. 

Andrews, Rev. William, 74, 75. 

Anne, Queen, 13. 

Anthon, Rev. Dr. Henry, 258. 

Aray, Nicholas, 112. 

Arden, Rev. R. Beverly, 273-5, 276, 
356, 380; Eliza Dean, 301, 370; 
George, 242, 342, 385; Harry, 343, 
385; Helen, 253, 355 ; James, 233, 
375; Richard D., 218, 219, 227, 
232, 233, 240, 241, 259, 280, 294, 
301-2, 344, 357, 374; Sarah Jane, 
310; Thos.B., 233, 234, 240, 241, 
259. 270, 273, 279, 280, 294-5, 
343, 357, 378. 

Armstrong, Susan L., 308. 

Arnold, Abraham Kerns, 342, 379. 
Benedict, 120, 139, 140, 141; 
Richard, 58, 87, 116, 169, 196; 
Walter, M., 343. 

Atwater, Emmeline B., 247, 310. 

Avery, Rev. Ephraim, 91. 

Auchmuty, Rev. Dr., 34, 56. 

Austin, Jesse, 241, 385; Jesse A., 
342; Justice, 241; Samuel, 241; 
Thomas H., 241, 281, 356, 357, 
358. 

Axtell, Lady Arabella, 155. 

Babcock, Rev. Luke, 91, 92. 

Bailey, John, 126. 

Bancker, Gerard, 43. 

Barclay, Ann D., 136; Rev. Thomas, 

12, 14, 75, 136. 
Barker, Jacob, 301. 



Barr, Rev. David E., 263, 276, 384. 

Barten, Roger, 319. 

Bartoll, Henry, 232. 

Bartow, Rev. John, 18. 

Bashford, John, 88. 

Bates, Isaac, 173; Phoebe, 173. 

Baxter, Elizabeth, 174. 

Beach, Rev. Alfred, 277. 

Beardsley, Rev. John, 143, 186. 

Bedell, H., 217. 

Belcher, Eliza King, 253; Henry W„ 
234, 240, 241, 242, 252, 280, 281, 
282, 286-7, 344, 378, Martha A., 
246, 252, 286; Wm. K., 234. 

Benjamin, Hamilton F., 254; Julian 
A., 254; Julia Kean, 254, 380; 
Samuel N., 342, 377; William M., 
251, 254, 281. 

Benson, Egbert, 126. 

Berrian, Rev. Dr., 48, 51. 

Bertram, Miss, 117. 

Beverley, Catharine, 117; Robert, 
117. 

Beyre, Rev. Henry, 12. 

Bird, Colonel, 41, 167. 

Birdsall, Daniel, 38, 56, 59, 63, 69, 
70, 115, 116, 117, 156-7, 162, 163, 
210, 216, 314, 316, 318, 319, 320, 
321, 324, 325, 327, 328; Daniel 
Wm., 49, 50, 52, 111, 112, 115, 116, 
168, 339; William B., 116, 117. 

Bishop, John, 341, 357. 

Bissell, Roger, 319. 

Blackwell, Augusta G., 308; William* 
308. 

Boyd, Ebenezer, 158. 

Bray, Rev. Dr., 37. 

Breckenridge, John C, 284. 

Brewer, James, 112. 

Brien, Thos. B., 241. 



422 



Index to Persons 



Bross, Peter, 233, 241, 259, 280, 303, 

357 374. 
Brown, Rev. John, 110, 206, 207, 

350; J. Mills, 232. 
Budd, Chloe, 302; Elijah, 165; 

Nicholas, 171, 302, 383; Phoebe, 

171, 302, 383. 
Bull, Rev. E. C, 114, 221, 258-9, 

276. 
Burgoyne, General, 80, 138. 
Burling, Ebenezer, 104, 116; Lydia, 

65. 
Burr, Aaron, 165. 
Burton, Rev. Dr., 64. 

Cady, Rev. Hamilton, 278. 

Cammann, H. H., 395. 

Campbell, Archibald, 182; Captain 

Duncan, 121, 151, 183-4; General, 

153. 
Carleton, Sir Guy, 81, 142, 143, 146, 

173; Thomas, 136. 
Chase, Rt. Rev. Bishop Carlton, 

109, 304, 355, 384; Rt. Rev. Bishop 

Philander, 109. 
Chastellux, Chevalier, 192. 
Cheesman, Dr. T. M., 281. 
Chipman, Ward, 145. 
Chorley, Rev. E. Clowes, 249, 250, 

251, 252, 273, 276, 277, 391. 
Clap, Rev. Joel, 239, 265-7, 277, 

385; Joshua, 265. 
Clark, James, 117. 
Clarkson, Thos. S., 199. 
Clinton, Governor George, 148, 161; 

Sir Henry, 136, 137, 138, 139, 150. 
Colden, Lt.-Gov., 22, 23, 30, 83, 36. 
Coleman, Rt. Rev. Bishop L., 355, 

390. 
Comb, Capt. George, 170. 
Compton, Rt. Rev. Bishop, 9. 
Conklin, Drake, 339; G., 112. 
Constable, Dr., 74. 
Constant, Rev. Silas, 89, 169, 195, 

215, 216, 217, 223, 284. 
Cooper, Rev. Elias, 107; Henry A., 

117. 
Copper, Catherine, 219. 
Cornbury, Lord, 10, 13. 
Corney, Peter, 116, 162, 168, 211, 

319, 320, 394. 
Cornwallis, Lord, 137, 150. 
Courtney, Rt. Rev. Bishop F., 355, 

391. 
Covert, Abraham, 173; Elisha, 116, 

173. 



Cox, Rev. Richard, 206, 207. 

Croft, James, 324, 325, 327, 328, 337. 

Cromwell, Mr., 241. 

Cronk, Tunice, 116, 197. 

Cronkhite, Capt. Jas., 167. 

Cruger, John, 123. 

Cruston, R. C, 334. 

Currie, A., 339. 

Currey, John, 112, 60; Stephen, 112; 

Tommy, 55. 
Curtin, Cornelius J., 313. 
Cutler, Lucretia, 111, Rev. Timothy, 

90. 

Davenport, Isaac, 45, 116, 170, 324, 
327, 396; Thomas, Sr., 165, 180; 
Thomas, 22, 23, 25, 31, 32, 115, 
165, 170, 181, 188. William, 165. 

Dare, Virginia, 2. 

Dean, Rachel, 174. 

Delaware, Lord, 4. 

Denning, William, 21, 22, 40, 41, 45, 
47, 50, 52, 115, 116, 120, 158-9, 
175, 189, 193, 194, 195, 196, 213, 
252, 321, 325, 333, 348, 396, 397, 
400, 402, 403, 404, 405; Wm. H., 
241, 248. 

Depew, Thomas, 55. 

Devoe, Benjamin, 242; Nelson, 241 

Dibblee, Rev. Ebenezer, 19. 

Dick, Evans R., 180. 

Dickinson, — , 121, 

Dix, Rev. Dr. Morgan, 290. 

d'Hauteville, Eliza S., 256. 

de Koven, Rev. Dr., 271. 

De Lancey, Oliver, 119; Rt. Rev 
Bishop W. H„ 355, 357. 

Doane, Rt. Rev. Bishop George W., 
267, 268; Rt. Rev. Wm. Croswell, 
272. 

Dobbs, Walter, Jr., 319. 

Dominick, J. W., 199, 234; Martha, 
284. 

Douglass, Benjamin, Jr., 50, 51, 
106, 115, 171, 329; James, 104, 
116, 171; William, 45, 49, 52, 
116, 171, 396. 

Doten (Doty) Edward, 64; Jabez, 
64, 65. 

Doty, Rev. John, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 
37, 38, 56, 57, 64-85, 210, 212, 
252, 311, 312, 314, 315, 397, 398, 
400, 401, 403. 

De Peyster, Catharine, 160; Jane, 
294, 301; L. A., 255. 



Index to Persons 



423 



Drake, Sir Francis, 1; Jeremiah, 
20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 31, 32, 56, 69, 
115, 157-8, 159, 166, 319, 320; 
Mary, 159; Peter, 58, 62, 116, 166, 
211, 319, 320, 321; Samuel, 210. 

de Rhani, Charles, 234, 240, 241, 
254, 280, 297-9, 380; Charles, Jr. 
251, 254, 281; Henry C, 116, 177, 
206, 227, 232, 241, 242, 253, 280, 
287, 297, 300-1, 336, 355; H. 
Casimir, 254; Johann W ., 300; 
Julia A., 253; Laura, 254; Laura 
F., 254. 

Duane, James, 134. 

Dun, Frances Maria, 348. 

Dunmore, Earl of, 69, 71. 

Dupree, Thomas, 327. 

Dusenbury, Jarvis, 40, 42, 43, 52, 
58, 87, 103, 116, 169-70, 196, 324, 
327; Moses, 169; Sarah, 112. 

Dutilh, Eugene, 241; Susan M., 241. 

D wight, President (Yale), 124. 

Dyckman, Sampson, 120. 

Dykeman, States, 52. 

Elizabeth, Queen, 1. 
Elmendorf, Peter, 295. 
Empie, Rev. Adam, 110. 
Everson, Jacob, 127. 

Faunce, Mary, 64. 

Faurst, Isaac, 61. 

Ferris, Jonathan, 112, 116, 171, 174; 
Joseph, 55, 115, 351; Susannah, 
171; Sylvanus, 240; 

Fish, Clemence B., 343,380; Hon. 
Hamilton, L.L.D., 240, 241, 242, 
247, 253, 255, 270, 279, 280, 288- 
94, 304, 344, 378; Hamilton, 277, 
281; Hamilton, Jr., 343, 379; Julia 
Kean, 253, 255, 377; Colonel 
Nicholas, 288; Nicholas, 343, 
397 ;Stuyvesant, 54, 251, 281, 345. 

Fletcher, Rev. Francis, 1; Gov- 
ernor, 9, 18. 

Floyd-Jones, Rev. Elbert, 278. 

Foote, E., 232. 

Foster, Theodore, 232. 

Fowler, Rev. Andrew, 40, 52, 53, 
88-102, 170, 212, 213, 324, 326, 
327, 404; Andrew, 90; George, 54, 
112; John, 90. 

Fox, Charles James, 152. 

Frost, Jerediah, 38, 62, 314. 



Gadsen, Rt. Rev. Bishop, 96. 

Galer, Robert, 319. 

Garrison, Abraham, 197, 328; Em- 
ma L., 253; George F. t 241; 242, 
280, 285, 377; Harry, 45, 52, 59, 
61, 62, 63, 107, 111, 115, 116, 117, 
189, 196, 197, 199, 202, 204, 205, 
206, 207, 208, 213, 219, 227, 232, 
259, 277, 279, 282-4, 285, 286, 
305, 329, 332, 333, 336, 338, 339, 
354, 355, 382, 396, 406, 408; 
James, 280, 285, 357; Jane, 340; 
,/. Henry, 280, 357, 358; John, 
61, 116, 117, 199, 204, 227, 232, 

233, 239, 240, 242, 259, 279, 280, 
284-5, 286, 305, 335, 336, 354, 357, 
375; William D., 241, 280, 285, 
305, 378. 

Gates, General, 81. 

Gay, Cyrus, 280, 302. 

Gee, John, 55, 103, 116, 171. 

Gerretsen, Gerrett, 282, 283. 

Gifford, George, 241. 

Gilbert, Josiah, 241. 

Gill, Eliz. G., 304. 

Gilmore, General, 308. 

Gomier, John T., 112, 116, 174; 
Nicholas, 174. 

Gooch, Governor (Va.), 117. 

Goodall, —,151. 

Gordon, Rev. Patrick, 10, 37, 38. 

Gouverneur, Adolphus N., 233. 255, 
282, 304, 310; F. (see F. Philipse) ; 
Mary, 310, 354, 357; Mary Mars- 
ton, 255, 282, 349; Samuel, 113, 
116, 202, 204, 205, 206, 217, 219, 
227, 232, 257, 279, 282, 303, 304, 
336, 349, 355; S. M. Warburton, 

234, 246, 255, 280, 282, 303, 376. 
Graham, Morris, 127. 

Grant, General U. S., 289, 307. 
Gray, Rev. Albert Zabriskie, 247, 

248, 269-72, 273, 274, 276, 387, 

388, 393. 
Greer, Rt. Rev. Bishop D. H., 355, 

391. 
Griswold, Rt. Rev. Bishop A. V., 

266. 

Haight, Chas. C, 281; Christopher, 
280, 303, 334, 373, 382; Daniel, 
45, 49, 50, 59, 60, 61, 63, 115, 116, 
174, 199, 204, 205, 219, 227, 232, 
300, 303, 315, 327, 328, 329, 331, 
332, 333, 336, 338, 339, 344, 351, 
354, 355, 383, 396; George, 259, 



424 



Index to Persons 



280, 303; John, 181; John F., 116, 
219; Joseph, 161, 382; Mary, 171, 
174; Sylvanus, 45, 58, 87, 103, 
104, 115, 116, 161, 181, 196, 317, 
319, 324, 328, 344, 382, 396; Wil- 
liam, 112. 

Haldimand, General, 82. 

Hall, Caleb, 20; General Wm. Jas. 
F., 280, 281, 307-8; General Wm. 
E., 307, 308; Wm. E., 308. 

Hamilton, Alexander, 289; Colonel 
J. S. C, 345, 346. 

Hanlon, Major Bernard, 115, 116, 
164, 339, 348. 

Hargill, Rev., 22, 45, 46, 47, 48, 321, 
396, 401. 

Harrop, Joseph, 65. 

Haskell, Roger, 106; Rev. Samuel, 
52, 58, 102-6, 212, 404. 

Hatfield, Daniel, 319; Isaac, 20, 21, 

211, 319; James, Jr., 319. 
Haws, Maria, 223, 374; Palatiah, 

20. 

Hayes, Richard, 241; Thomas, 241. 

Hayne, W. G., 233. 

Hazen, Allen B., 112, 116, 174. 

Hazwell, Charles, 232. 

Heath, Major-General Wm., 119, 
157, 191, 192, 313. 

Heathcote, Colonel Caleb, 15, 16, 18. 

Henderson, Thomas, 122, 148; Will- 
iam, 116, 173, 213, 301, 348, 405. 

Henry, Patrick, 118; Peter, 232. 

Henyan, Thomas, 49, 116, 172, 328, 
329, 330. 

Heriot, Thomas, 2. 

Hobart, Rev. Jno. Hy., 273; Rt 
Rev. Bishop, 53, 93, 94, 95, 110, 

212, 215, 222, 333, 402, 406, 408, 
410. 

Hodges, Dr. & Mrs., 241, 242. 

Hoffman, Rev. Chas. Frederick, 239, 
240, 241, 242, 244, 246, 248, 252, 
267-9, 276, 277, 385, 386, 387, 
392; Mrs. C.F., 241; Rev. Eugene 
A., 242; Murray, 199; Samuel V., 
267; William, 233. 

Hood, Lord, 152. 

Hopper, Daniel, 241; James, 241; 
John, 241, 280, 304; John Jr., 241; 
Joseph, 116; Lazarus, 224; Rich- 
ard, 116, 174-5, 197, 219, 241, 357, 
382. 

Horton, Israel, 233. 

Howard, Ward B., 112. 

Howe, Sir William, 135; 



Hubbard, Rev. Bela, 91; Isaac, 267. 
Huchins, Jacob, 319. 
Hudson, Henry, 8. 
Huestis, Elizabeth, 170; Sarah, 170. 
Humphreys, Cornelius, 127. 
Hunt, Rev. Robert, 2, 5, 6. 
Hurd, Isaac, 116. 
Hussey, John, 319. 

Inglis, Rev. Charles, 14, 15, 78, 135; 

Margaret, 135. 
Iselin, John A., 310; John H., 280, 

281, 310, 344, 371, 378. 
Ives, Rev. Edward J., 60, 63, 111-13, 

198, 212, 214, 333, 408, 410. 

Jacob, Israel, 112. 

Jay, John, 131, 133, 135; Peter A., 
199. 

Jefferson, Thomas, 165. 

Jefferts, Samuel, 327. 

Jeffrey, Rachel, 65, 85. 

Jenkins, Lt. Joel, 341, 355, 382. 

Jenney, Rev. Robert, 18. 

Jennings, Mary, 170. 

Johnson, Andrew, 19, 20; Colonel, 
74; John, 22, 23, 25, 31, 32, 38, 
115, 117, 165, 314; Sir John, 81, 
82; Major, 84; Rev. Dr. Samuel, 
95, 143, 199; Sir William, 109. 

Jones, Ebenezer, 313, 322, 323, 326; 
John Jr., 50, 115, 117, 172, 319, 
324, 327; Smith, 45, 116, 171, 327, 
396. 

Jordan, Warren S., 313. 

Kane, John, 127, 150. 
Keith, Rev. George, 10, 11, 37. 
Kemble, Gouverneur, 116, 175, 199, 

219, 232; Maria, 173; William, 

232. 
Kemper, Rt. Rev. Bishop Jackson, 

260. 
Kennedy, Dennis, 319. 
King, Fredk. Gore, 281. 
Kinloch, Anne, 300; Sir James, 300. 
Kinsolving, Rt. Rev. Bishop, L. L., 

355, 391. 
Kip, Elizabeth, 258. 
Knox, General, 106. 

Laight, Mrs., 241. 
Lamson, Rev. Jos., 19, 209. 
Lane, Captain, 169. 



Index to Persons 



425 



Lancaster, Anna, 341; Joshua, 50, 
52, 62, 103, 107, 116, 197, 329, 
330, 341, 348, 349, 350; William, 
50, 115, 197, 349, 351, 352. 

Lanison, David, 87, 88, 196. 

Lee, Elijah, 316, 317; General, 271. 

Legroot, Joseph, 319. 

Lent, Isaac, 61, 337; Jacob, 108, 
116, 172, 222, 223; Smith, 313. 

Lile, Rev. A., 48. 

Livingston, Francis A., 234, 240, 
241, 280, 309-10, 378; Gilbert, 127; 
L.L., 241; Philip, 126; Peter Van 
Brugh, 122; Robert G., 127; 
William S., 234, 240, 241, 242, 
280, 308. 

Lockwood, Gilbert, 319. 

Lounsberry, Eliza, 306. 

Luck, Rev. Charles, 113, 204, 206, 
248, 276. 

Ludlow, Chief Justice, 137. 

Lyman, Joseph, 319. 

McCoy, David, 312 335, 337, 338; 
John, 319; Nelson, 312. 

McDougall, General, 157. 

McLane, Lias, 233. 

Mabe, Abraham, 319. 

Mackenzie, Rev. E., 11. 

Maguire, David, 280, 380. 

Malcom, Colonel, 161. 

Mandeville, Cornelius, 116, 163; 
Hannah, 156; Jacob, 32, 35, 36, 
156, 163, 169, 180, 182, 187, 188- 
193, 284, 304, 345, 346, 382; 
Henry, 331; James, 50, 52, 54, 55, 
56, 59, 61, 62, 107, 108, 111, 112, 
115, 163-4, 218, 330, 331, 332, 338, 
339; John, 157, 164, 314, 319; 
Sarah, 162; Yellis de, 163, 188. 

Manteo, 2. 

Marks, Samuel, 116, 175-6. 

Marston, Margaret, 173; Mary, 173. 

Mead, Harry, 233, 280; Isaac, 45, 
55, 116, 117, 170, 219, 396; Jas. 
H., 241. 

Michell, Rev. R., 304. 

Miller, Andrew, 319; George, 280, 
305-6; John, 112; Justus, 305; 
Peter, 319; Susan, 305. 

Moore, Rt. Rev. Bishop Benjamin, 
98, 196, 287, 300; Charles, 20, 21, 
22, 23, 25, 31, 35, 69, 70, 115, 
155-6; Rt. Rev. Bishop Channing, 
156; George E., 280, 307, 374; 
Jane Fish, 287; Hon. John, 155, 



156; Sir John, 155; Rev. John, 
287; Margaret P., 255, 282; Maria 
T., 300; Dr. N. F., 234, 240, 241, 
242, 280, 306-7, 375; Thomas, 156; 
Rev. Thoroughhood, 10, 14; Will- 
iam, 240, 241, 242, 270, 279, 280, 
287-8, 306, 344; Mrs. Wm., 252; 
Dr. William, 287, 300, 396. 

Morgan, Caleb, 38, 42, 45, 55, 58, 
87, 115, 116, 117, 162, 211, 314, 
319, 324, 328, 396; Caleb, Jr., 
103, 106, 112; Elijah Jr., 45, 49, 
103, 116, 396; Rev. D. W. F., 392, 
393. 

Morris, Colonel, 12; Gouverneur, 
134; Mary, 120, 135, 181; Col- 
onel Roger, 87, 120, 121, 123, 135, 
148, 171, 181. 

Morrison, Malcom, 150. 

Mowatt Erastus, 249. 

Mowett, James, 334, 337. 

Moyatt, Jas. W., 60. 

Mudge, Elizabeth, 169. 

Muggiford, Peter, 319. 

Muirson, Rev. George, 18. 

Neau, Elias, 13. 

Neil, Rev. Ed. W., 276. 

Nelson, Alexander, 342; Augusta, 
306; Caleb, 165, 180; Charity, 
233, 302, 350, 355, 384; Cornelius, 
115, 189, 219, 224, 227, 232, 280, 
302, 336, 352, 382; Cornelius, Jr., 
232, 302; Cornelius Mandeville, 
232, 350, 373, 384; Francis, 162, 
171; Hannah, 341; Jacob, 45, 116, 
197, 341, 349, 396; Jane, 284; 
James, 346 ;John, 49, 50, 116, 171, 
174, 197, 354; Joshua, 22, 23, 25, 
31, 32, 38, 42, 49, 62, 69, 70, 87 f 

115, 162-3, 171, 174, 181, 188,189, 
196, 210, 284, 314, 317, 318, 320, 
321, 344,349, 350, 382; Joshua Jr., 
227, 280, 332, 333, 334; Justus, 

116, 171, 172, 174, 180, 302, 344, 
381; Justus, Jr., 227, 280, 302; 
Maria, 208; Mephiboseth, 116, 
174, 302; Nicholas, 116, 117, 172; 
Pheanas, 303; Stephen, 116, 174; 
Sulvenus, 340; 381; William, 116, 
172, 218. 

Newport, Christopher, 2, 3. 
Nicolls, Governor, 8. 
North, Lord, 146. 
Northcote, Edith, 256. 



426 



Index to Persons 



Ogden, John, 319; Thos. L., 203. 

Ogilvie, Rev. John, 21, 33, 120; Mrs., 
46, 120, 128, 181, 193, 195, 399, 
404. 

Onderdonk, Rt. Rev. Bishop, B. T., 
113, 199, 206, 207, 218, 257, 260, 
261, 278, 303, 355, 357. 

Oppie, John, 60, 111, 112, 116, 173, 
339. 

Orsor, Capt. Jonas, 170. 

Osborne, Fdk. Sturges, 256, 375; 
Henry Fairfield, 281; Mrs. H.F., 
254; Virginia Sturges, 256; Vir- 
ginia R. Sturges, 254, 309; Wm. 
Church, 281; Wm. Henry, 240, 

241, 280, 304, 308-9, 344, 378. 
Osborne, E., 217. 

Owens, Jane, 174; Samuel, 338, 339. 

Page, Rev. Bernard, 86, 394. 

Paine, Ephraim, 122. 

Palmer, — , 107; Lowell M., 313. 

Parrott, R. P., 232. 

Parsons, General, 119, 161. 

Payne, Rev. Dr., 75. 

Peake, Rev. F., 114, 257, 276. 

Pecke, Rev. Edward M., 234, 235, 

238, 263-5, 276. 
Peckham, Abigail, 267; Josiah, 267. 
Peck well, Henry, 130. 
Pemart, Francis, 116, 166-8, 211. 
Pen, Thomas, 319. 
Penoyer, David, 38, 58, 116, 166, 

314; William, 167, 211. 
Perry, Rev. Carroll, 272-3, 276, 390. 
Philipse, Adolph, 119, 179; Captain, 

116, 173, 213, 282, 349, 405; 
Frederick (Gouverneur) 60, 61, 116, 

117, 119, 120, 198, 199, 200, 202, 
204, 205, 206, 207, 223, 224, 227, 
234, 239, 240, 241, 244, 253, 255, 
257, 279, 281, 282, 285-6, 303, 335, 
336, 375; Margaret, 21; The 
Misses, 254, 255; Philip, 173. 

Pierrepont, Edward, 253; Edwards, 
D. C. L., 254, 378. 

Pitt, William, 152. 

Post, Catherine W., 285. 

Potter, Rt. Rev. Bishop Alonzo, 267; 
Rt. Rev. Bishop Henry Codman, 
272, 277, 278, 290, 305, 355, 388, 
389,390; Rt. Rev. Bishop Horatio, 

242, 243, 244, 245, 246, 270, 277, 
355, 385, 386, 387, 388. 

Powell, Robert, 241. 
Poyner, Isaac, 319. 



Price, Mary Ann, 64. 

Pritchard, Rev. Thomas, 178, 18. 

Prince, Thomas, 232. 

Provoost, Rt. Rev. Bishop Samuel, 
15, 47, 92, 103, 186, 196, 211, 400. 

Purdy, Abraham, 210; Charity, 394; 
Ebenezer, 310; Elijah, 211; Gab- 
riel, 394; Henry, 22, 23, 25, 31, 
116, 166, 230; Isaac, 52, 115, 172; 
Joshua, 162, 211; Joseph, 394; 
Samuel, 394; 

Putnam, Gen. Israel, 119, 345, 346. 

Raleigh, Sir Walter, 1. 

Rand, Colonel, 270. 

Rathbone, Edward B., 112. 

Rawdon, Lord, 137, 138, 150. 

Raymond, Rev. W. O., 151. 

Read, Eleazor, 319. 

Reade, George, 189; Susan, 189. 

Robertson, Daniel, 232; Joseph, 232. 

Robinson, Colonel Beverly, 20, 21, 
22, 23, 25, 31, 32, 35, 36, 38, 40, 
43, 56, 57, 69, 70, 78, 87, 115, 117- 
154, 155, 158, 167, 174, 180, 181, 
182, 183, 184, 187, 188, 189, 190, 
194, 195, 201, 203, 210, 252, 311, 
314, 315, 316, 317, 318, 320, 321, 
322, 326, 333, 345, 396, 400, 401, 
403, 405; Beverly Jr., 136, 144; 
Beverly, 2nd, 306; Christopher, 117; 
Frederick P., 136, 137; John, 137, 
144, 117, 119; Rt. Rev. Bishop 
John, 117; Colonel Joseph, 119; 
Morris, 137; Susannah, 21, 119, 
131, 135, 153, 154, 316, 317, 322, 
333, 403, 405, 411, 412. 

Rogers, Hamilton F., 256, 376; 
Violet M., 256, 366; William E., 
281, 282. 

Romer,Henry, 103, 116, 170; Jacob, 
170. 

Rose, Benjamin, 169. 

Rosseter, Mrs., 232, 356. 

Royce, Hon. Stephen, 265. 

Rutledge, Rev. Edmund, 100. 

Sackett, Amos, 234; Justus, 234. 
Sargent, Winthrop, 139, 140. 
Schenck, Henry, 127. 
Scott, John Morin, 134; Sarah, 175, 
Seabury, Rev. George, 273, 276; 

Rev. Samuel, 111, 185, 186, 187; 

Rt. Rev. Bishop, Samuel, 78, 

91, 100, 210. 
Seeker, Most Rev. Archbishop, 143. 



Index to Persons 



427 



Seymour, Isaac, 116, 175, 335, 336; 

Rt. Rev. Bishop, 355, 388; Rev. 

Richard, 2. 
Shaw, Rev. Robert, 230, 231, 248, 

260-2, 276, 355. 
Shelburne, Lord, 154. 
Shelley, M., 241. 
Sheridan, Lt. -General, 271. 
Sherman, General, 307. 
Sherwood, Ann, 112; /., 241. 
Sloan, Margaret E., 250, 251, 297; 

Samuel, 247, 250, 251, 254, 270, 

280, 295-7, 304, 344, 380; Samuel, 

Jr., 281. 
Slon, Jared, 112. 
Smith, Hopper, 339; Captain John, 

3,4; William, 150. 
Somerset, Duke of, 2. 
Spock, Amelia, 169; James, 42, 103, 

116, 167, 168-9, 211; Mary, 169. 
Stanley, David, 164. 
Strang, Daniel, 319; Jos. Jr., 319. 
Sterling, Lord, 57. 
Stevenson, Anne, 164: Rev. Henry 

Z.,114, 206, 207, 220, 257-8, 276, 

278, 353, 354, 355. 
Storrs, Hon. Henry R., 258. 
Stone, Martha, 90. 
Stuyvesant, Cornelia, 111; Elizabeth, 

288; Peter, 8, 155, 159, 288. 
Strachey, Edward, 4. 
Stymes, Hannah, 164. 
Sunderland, Rev. James, 113, 199, 

200, 218, 219, 278. 
Sweney, Captain, 144. 
Swim, Sarah, 172. 

Talbot, Hon. St. George, 19. 

Taylor, Catharine, 164; Emma L., 
305; Rev. John, 75. 

Ten Broeck, Dirck, 111; Rev. Petrus 
Stuyvesant, 53, 110-11, 127; Pet- 
rus, 127. 

Thomas, Rev. J., 11; Rev. William, 
111. 

Thompson, Mary P., 256; Rev. 
Walter, 253, 272, 274, 276, 290, 
296, 297, 388, 389, 390. 

Todd, Wm. L., 312. 

Toucey, Harriet, 247, 258, 310; 
Donald B., 247, 380; John M., 
247, 253, 254, 280, 282, 310, 344, 
379; Mary B., 247, 253, 380. 

Townsend, Rev. Epenetus, 91. 



Travis, Joseph, 20, 210. 
Troup, Captain, 65. 
Tryon, Gov. William, 71, 400. 
Turner, Charles, 241; Chas. A., 341; 
Matthias, 241. 

Uhl, John, 116, 232. 

Upjohn, Edwin, 256; Emma, 256; 
Rev. James, 276; Richard, 234, 
239, 240, 256, 280, 304-5, 344, 
376; Mrs. R., 242, 253, 256. 

Urquhart, Rev. John, 59, 108-9, 189, 
302, 339, 347, 349, 350, 353, 404, 
405. 

Vail, W. M., 241. 

Van Cortlandt, General Pierre, 61, 

111, 115, 164-5, 335, 336, 337; 

Lt. Gov. Pierre, 54, 115, 159-60, 

210, 325, 326; Oloff S., 159; Rt. 

Hon. Steven, 159; Stephanus, 17, 

159. 
Van Dam, Isaac, 168. 
Van Hancet, J. A., 241. 
Van Kleeck, Rev. Dr. F., 249. 
Van Tassel, Hiram, 241. 
Vaughan, General, 137. 
Verplanck, Samuel, 134. 
Vermilyea, Hannah, 172. 
Vesey, Rev. William, 9, 12. 
VilJefranche, Major, 180. 
Voiscin, J. A., 241. 
Von Kesners, T. A., 241. 

Wainwright, Rt. Rev. Bishop, J. M. 

259, 263, 355, 384. 
Walling, Rev. — , 93, 95. 
Ward, Benjamin, 112, 116, 170, 

Caleb, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 31, 32, 

42, 49, 58, 69, 70, 106, 115, 159, 

174, 319, 320, 324; John, 159. 
Warner, Rev. Thomas, 206, 207. 
Warren, John, 61, 351; Captain, J., 

219, 383; Rev. Joseph, 52, 53, 62, 

107, 212. 
Washington, George, 15, 118, 141, 

190, 191, 210, 300. 
Watson, Alfred E., 116, 176-7, 199, 

218; Rev. John Lee, 176-7, 199. 
Weller, James, 241. 
Westcott, Martha, 164. 
Wetmore, Rev. James, 19. 
White, Rt. Rev. Bishop Wm., 210. 



428 



Index to Persons 



Whittingham, Rt. Rev. Bishop, 355, 
357. 

Wiley, James, 61, 112, 116, 174. 

Williams, Daniel, 164; Rev. Ebenezer, 
114, 221, 227, 228, 229, 231, 248, 
259-60, 276, 277, 278, 383. 

William, King, III, 13, 119. 

Wilkins, Rev. Isaac, 54, 107, 111. 



Wilson, Ann, 241; Benjamin, 241; 

Charles, 241; Fanny, 241; Mar- 

garet, 241. 
Winslow, Edward, 145, 151. 
Worthington, Hy R., 345. 
Wray, Sir Cecil, 152. 
Wright, Hannah, 161, 383; Mary, 

170. 



INDEX TO SUBJECTS. 



Accounts, parochial, 58-63, 

Alabama Claims, 289, 

Albany, Church in, first services, 12; 
St. Peter's Church, 12; population 
of, 12; Indian Conference at, 13-4; 
Rev. John Doty called to, 84; 
Rev. John Doty tried at, 80. 

Altar, 236-7, 238, 248-9, 254; Can- 
delabra, 252-3, Cross, 253, Hang- 
ings, 253, 

Amherst College, 272, 

Apocrypha, 236 

Attainder, Act of, 134-5, 

Articles, XXXIX, assent to, 73, 

Baptisms, 53, 54, 219, 220, 228, 229, 

348-350, 353-4, 356, 358-370, 392- 

3, 
Bath (Eng.), St. James Church, 154, 
Bedford, N. Y., Church in, 18, 92, 
Bell, Church, proposed, 236, 239; 

given, 246, 253; Memorial chimes, 

254 
Beverly House, 119-20, 121, 125, 

158, 195, 345. 
Bible, Lectern, 21, 253. 
Birdsall House, 157. 
Bloomfield, N. J., 271. 
Boston, King's Chapel, 10; Christ 

Church, 106. 
Brookfield, Conn., 259. 
Brooklyn, St. Ann's Church, 85; 

Lottery at, 86. 
Burials, 220, 228, 229, 354, 356-7, 

373, 384. 

Canada, Indian missions, 82; state 
of Church in, 83; mission at Sor- 
ell, 83-4; first church in, 84; 
Church in Montreal, 84. 

Carmel Court House, 174. 

Carolina North, Church in, 93, 94, 
95; Wilmington, Church in, 93, 
94-5; 

Carolina South, Charleston, 93, 96, 
97, 100, 101; Edisto Island, 95; 



101; Church in, 95, 100, 101; cli- 
mate, 95-6; Church at Columbia, 
96,101. 

Census, first U. S., 180-81. 

Chancel furniture, 236-7, 242, 252. 

Charter Royal, petition for, 22, 23; 
text of, 22-30; custody of, 32. 

Cholera epidemic, 344. 

Chorister, 55, 171. 

Churchwardens, 23, 25, 31, 32, 45, 
115, 227, 279, 281. 

Clerks, parish, 32, 55, 62, 117, 165, 
281. 

Civil War, 270-1, 284-5, 291, 294-5, 
307-8, 341, 342, 343. 

Cleasby, (Eng.), 117. 

Clergy, character of, 100. 

Cold Spring, Church services at, 
220, 221, 261, 262; subscriptions 
from, 231. 

Collections, 57-8, 58, 103, 231, 235, 
239. 

Columbia College, 65, 75, 271, 272, 
288, 289, 306. 

Communicants, 54, 219, 228, 355. 

Concord, N. H., 111. 

Confirmations, 221, 354-5, 357, 384- 
391. 

Continental Village, 122, 168. 

Constant, Rev. Silas, correspondence 
with Andrew Fowler, 89; preach- 
es in St. Philip's, 195, 215-6; ser- 
vices in the Highlands, 216, 284; 
applies for use of St. Peter's and 
St. Philip's, 217; becomes a Con- 
gregationalism 217; payment to 
by Vestry, 217. 

Constitution Island, 121, 128, 171, 
182. 

Convention, Diocesan, parochial re- 
ports to, 52-3, 53, 54, 110, 219, 
220, 221-2, 228, 229, 242; dele- 
gates to, 52. 

Convention, General, 292, 294. 



430 



Index to Subjects 



Cortlandt, Manor of, Royal Char- 
ter, 17; Political affiliations on, 
394. 

Credence Table, 237. 

Crompound, 89. 

Delaware, Lackawanna & Western 
Railroad, 295, 344. 

Doty, Rev. John: ancestry, 64-5; 
education, 65; marriage, 65, 85; 
visits England, 65-6, 81, 82, ordi- 
nation, 66; bishop's license, 67-8; 
returns to America, 69; rector 
United Churches, 69; Institution 
69-72; Assent to Articles, 73; 
arrives at Schenectady, 74; rector 
St. George's, 74-5; ministry in 
Schenectady, 75-6; arrest during 
Revolution, 76, 80; leaves for 
Canada, 77, 81; claim for com- 
pensation, 78-82; military chap- 
lain, 81, 82; mission to Mohawks, 
82; statement on Church in Can- 
ada, 83; appointed to Sorel, 83-4; 
visits Albany, 84; at Montreal, 
84; visits New York, 84-5; resigns 
S. P. G., 85; death, 85; tombstone, 
85; recollections of, 85. 

Dutchess County, Militia in, 123, 
127; Judge of, 123; attitude of 
Tories in, 129; Smith's description 
of, 178; creation of, 179; associa- 
tion with Ulster Co., 179; popula- 
tion of, 179; first Episcopal ser- 
vices in, 184-6; Samuel Seabury 
appointed to, 186; Rev. John 
Beardsley appointed to, 186-7. 

Eagle's Rest, 310. 

Eastchester, church in, 18, 91, 197. 

Empie, Rev. Adam, supplies United 
Churches, 110; reports to Con- 
vention, 110. 

Endowment Fund, 247, 253, 254. 

Episcopal visitations, 53. 

Fishkill, Trinity Church, 110, 186, 

187, 194. 
Florida, church in St. Augustine, 96- 

7, 101. 
Florida, War, 294. 
Font, 236, 252. 

Fort Hunter, St. Anne's Church, 108. 
Fort Montgomery, British attack 

on, 137. 138. 156. 



Fowler, Rev. Andrew, called to St. 
Peter's & St. Philip's, 88; induc- 
ted, 88; correspondence with 
Silas Constant, 89; ancestry, 90, 
graduates from Yale, 90; becomes 
churchman, 90-1; lay reader, 91, 
92; school at New Rochelle, 91; 
services at White Plains, Rye and 
Yonkers, 92; delegate to Diocesan 
Convention, 92; ordination, 92; 
at Oyster Bay, 92; at Bedford, 92; 
in New Jersey, 92, 93; at Philadel- 
phia, 93; at Bloomingdale, 93; re- 
moves to Charleston, S. C, 93; 
stay at Wilmington, N. C, 93, 
94-5; rector Edisto Island, 95, 
101; itinerant missionary, 96; es- 
tablishes church at St. Augustine, 
Fla., 96-7, 101; contributions to 
literature, 97-8; Biographical 
Sketches of the Clergy, 100; pro- 
poses Church paper, 100-01; death 
at Charleston, 101; obituary no- 
tice, 101-02. 

General Theological Seminary, 258, 
264,267,270. 

Glebe Farm the, gift of Beverly Rob- 
inson, 35, 311-12, 397, 403; dam- 
aged in Revolution, 41, 67, 47, 
398; debt on improvements, 43, 
323-5; additional land purchas- 
ed, 51, 338, 339; confiscated, 318, 
403; situation of, 312; subse- 
quent ownership, 312-13; propos- 
ed Vandue, 314-16; affadavits 
concerning, 316-18; efforts to se- 
cure title, 318-9, 397; subscrip- 
tion list, 319-21; Denning letter, 
321-2; Commissioners restrained 
from selling, 322-3; settlement 
with Birdsall, 324-5; interven- 
tion of Presbyterians, 325, 403; 
restored to parish, 52, 326, 403; 
barn built, 326-7; leased to ten- 
ants, 328-33, 334-5, 405; proposal 
to sell, 333-4, 405; sold to McCoy, 
335-6; disposition of proceeds, 
336-8. 

Grange, the, 173. 

Guides and Pioneers, 137-8, 139, 
142-3. 

Guilford, Conn., 90. 

Harlem, church in, 12. 
Hartford Convention, 158. 



Index to Subjects 



431 



Haskell, Rev. Samuel, called to St. 
Peter's & St. Philip's, 102; ordina- 
tion, 103; induction, 103; letter 
of Vestry to, 104; arrangement 
about salary, 104-6; rector at 
Rye, 106; rector at Boston, 106; 
death, 106. 

Highlands, the, strategic value of, 
190-1; review of troops in, 191-2; 
economic conditions in, 180-4, 
194; Revolution, 86. 

Highlands Country Club, 173, 301. 

Highland House, 207, 305. 

Hobart, Rt. Rev. Bishop, visits 
united churches, 53; correspond- 
ence with Andrew Fowler, 93, 94; 
influence on church life, 94, 110; 
recommends Rev. E. J. Ives, 111; 

Hobart College, 272. 

Hoosick Falls, 259. 

Hunt, Rev. Robert, arrives in Vir- 
ginia, 3-6; heals strife, 6; death, 
6; epitaph, 6. 

Hudson River Railroad, 295. 

Illinois Central Railroad, 309, 344. 

Incorporation of Parish, 40, 323, 400, 
403. 

Indians, missions to, 13, 14, 21; Five 
nations, 13: Lord Cornbury visits, 
13-14; in Canada, 82. 

Ives, Rev. E. J., recommended by 
Bishop Hobart, account with Ves- 
try, 60-2, 111; appeal for support, 
111-2. 

Institution of Rectors, 69-73, 88, 
103, 259, 267, 277. 

Jamestown, Va., 4, 5. 
Johnstown, Academy, 109. 
Johnstown, church in, 109. 

Keith, Rev. George, arrives in Amer- 
ica, 10; at Hempstead and New 
York, 11; missionary journeys, 11. 

Kent, town of, 121. 

King's American Dragoons, 173. 

King's College (see Columbia Col- 
lege). 

Lectern, 237. 

Legacies, 227, 252, 253. 

Letters, William Denning, 45-8, 397- 
400, 400, 02; Beverly Robinson, 
127-8, 141, 144-5, 151-3; John 
Jay, 131-3; Sir Guy Carleton, 



145-6; Samuel Gouverneur, 202- 
3; Rev. E. M. Pecke, 235-8, 263- 
4; Margaret E. Sloan, 250; Harry 
Garrison, 406-8; Rev. E. J. Ives, 
408-10. 

Long Island, description of, 9; 
church in Jamaica, 10-11; Hemp- 
stead, 11, 184, 185; Oyster Bay, 
11, 92; Brookhaven, 92; Hunting- 
ton, 92. 

Lotteries, tickets in Delaware pur- 
chased, 56-7; parish lottery, 57, 
190; Brooklyn church lottery, 86. 

Loyal American Regiment, 135-7, 
142. 

Loyalist claims, 77-82, 125-6, 147-53, 
154, 394. 

Lutherans, 184. 

Mahopac, 121, 122. 
Maine, church in, 2, 266, 267. 
Mamaroneck, services in, 18. 
Mandeville's House, 32, 35, 36, 157, 

187, 188, 189, 304, 346. 
Maps, Villefranche, 180; Erskine, 

180. 
Marriages, 54, 220, 228, 350-3, 354, 

356, 370-3. 
Martlaer's Rock, 128, 152. 
Mead's Landing, 180. 
Memorial Brasses, 254-5. 
Memorial Minutes, 271, 273-5, 286, 

287, 288, 293-4, 296, 299-300, 303, 

305, 306-7. 
Memorial Windows, 255-6. 
Memorials, 252-6. 
Middlebury College, 266-7. 
Ministry, settlement of Act, 8, 9, 17, 

18. 
Missions, parochial, 248-9, 268, 273- 

4 
Moravians, 184. 
Montgomery, Vt., 265. 

Negroes, mission to, 13. 

Nelson's Landing, 180. 

New Haven, Ct., Andrew Fowler at, 

91. 
NewRochelle, Huguenots conform to 

church, 18; Andrew Fowler at, 91 

92. 
New Jersey, church in, 12. 
New York Central Railroad, 344. 
New York City, Dutch settlement, 

8; English conquest, 8; Ministry 

Act, 8, 9, 17; population, 9; irre- 



432 



Index to Subjects 



ligion, 10; great fire, 15, 135; in 
Revolution, 12-18; Church in, 
first services, 8; Trinity parish 
organized, 9, 12; mission to slaves, 
12-13; negroes, 13; in the Revo- 
lution, 14-5; St. Michael's Church, 
93; All Angels Church, 269; 
Ascension Church, 113; Grace 
Church, 272; St. Mark's Church, 
301, 306. 

Newburgh, St. George's Church, 
110. 

North Andover, Mass., 111. 

Norwich, University of, 267. 

Nova Scotia, first bishop of, 15; 
claims of Loyalists heard in, 77; 
settlement of Loyalists in, 142, 
143. 

Oath of allegiance to Congress, text 
of, 130; Bev. Robinson summoned 
to take, 129-30; Robinson refuses, 
131. 

Ordinations, 61-7, 92, 103, 113, 218, 
258, 259, 261, 264, 266, 267, 270, 
272, 274, 277. 

Organ, 242, 247, 253, 310. 

Oxford Movement, 93. 238. 

Page, Rev. Bernard, licensed by 
bishop, 86; removes to New York, 
86; orthodoxy questioned, 86; in 
Pennsylvania, 394; in Maryland, 
394; sails for England, 394; claims 
for losses and services, 394. 

Parish Register, 221, 235-6, 239, 
348-93. 

Parish House, 247, 254. 

Parsonage, the, 38, 35, 41, 46, 166, 
313, 314, 326, 397, 398, 399, 400, 
401, 402, 405. 

Patterson, town of, 121. 

Peekskill, 19, 63, 41, 167. 

Pemart's Dock, 167. 

Pews, 54, 197, 208. 

Philipse Upper Patent, 120, 181, 187, 
188, 179. 

Philadelphia, Christ Church, 9. 

Philipstown, created, 179; early 
houses in, 180; population of, 181; 
slaves in, 181 ; economic condi- 
tions, 182-4; economic changes, 
194. 

Portland, Me., St. Paul's Church, 
111. 



Poughkeepsie, Smith's mention of, 
178; proposed church at, 185; 
Rev. John Beardsley at, 186; 
Christ Church opened, 186. 

Presbyterians, conform at Eastches- 
ter, 18; assist in building St. Pet- 
er's, 22; attempt to seize St. 
Peter's, 22, 40; dispute title of 
Glebe, 325. 

Provincial Congress, 126-7, 128, 129, 
134, 158, 160, 167. 

Pulpit, 237, 238. 

Putnam County, area, 179; County 
Judge, 284. 

Putnam, Mrs. Israel's burial, 345-6. 

Putnam Valley, 121, 181, 302. 

Racine, Wis., 260; College, 271, 274. 

Rectors, call to, 64, 86, 87, 88, 103, 
107, 108, 110, 111, 257, 258, 259, 
260, 263, 265, 267, 269, 272,273; 
Institution of, 69-73, 88, 103, 259, 
267, 277; Salaries of, 48, 56, 88, 
87, 104, 105, 106, 107, 108, 110, 
111,212-3,227,257. 

Rectors, institution of, 69-73, 88, 
103, 259, 267, 277. 

Rectors, subscriptions for support of 
32, 34, 36-7, 47, 56-8, 62, 86, 87, 
111-12, 219, 231, 232. 

Rectory, St. Philip's, gift of land, 
234, 252, 287; subscriptions for, 
234; repairs to, 247; Samuel Sloan 
Memorial, 250-52. 

Rents of Farms, 182, 183. 

Resumption Act, 289. 

Revolution, War of, effect on 
Church, 14-5, 75, 77, 80, 91, 86-7, 
194; attitude of Clergy, 14, 78-9, 
80, 210; St. Peter's Church in, 39, 
41-2, 44, 395; St. Philip's Chapel 
in, 41, 44, 192-3, 395, 401, 404; 
Parsonage damaged in, 41-3, 321, 
398; attack on Peekskill, 41, 167; 
compensation for damages, 41-3, 
169, 175, 191, 321, 398, 401; sus- 
pension of Church services, 14, 
39, 86-7, 91, 94, 395; Rev. John 
Doty in, 76-7, 77-82, 210, 398, 
401; Loyalists in, 76-77, 78, 135, 
142-3, 156, 161, 162, 166, 166-8, 
173,210,211,394; Claims for loss- 
es and services, 77-82, 125-47, 125, 
147-53, 154, 194; Beverly Robin- 
son in, 124-54; Arnold's treason, 
120, 139-41; Dutchess County in, 



Index to Subjects 



433 



126, 129; Commissioners for 
detecting Conspiracies, 129-30, 
162; Oath of allegiance to Con- 
gress, 130; John Jay's letter on, 
131-3; Forfeiture of Robinson's 
estate, 134, 144-5, 147-52; Act of 
Attainder, 134-5; Fire in New 
York, 135; Loyal American Regi- 
ment, 136-7, 142; Guides and 
Pioneers, 137-8, 143; Attack on 
Fort Montgomery, 138, 156, 345; 
British Intelligence Department, 
139, 167; Andr6-Arnold episode, 
139-41; Cessation of hostilities, 
141; provision for Loyalists, 142- 
3, 167-8; Loyalists in England, 
145-6, 152-3; Soldiers of the Rev- 
olution, 157, 158, 163, 164, 169, 
170, 341, 382; Lt. Gov. Van Cort- 
landt in, 160-61; death of Mrs. 
Israel Putnam in, 189, 3465-6; 
Highlands of Hudson in 190-1; 
Chastellux in, 191-2; economic 
results of, 194; parochial political 
affiliations in, 210-11, 394. 
Robinson, Colonel Beverly, Trustee 
St. Peter's, 20; Church Warden, 
23, 25, 31, 115, 117; letter to S. P. 
G., 33-5; gift of Glebe Farm, 35; 
ancestry, 117, 118; first war ser- 
vice, 118; settles in New York, 
119; marriage, 119; comes to 
Dutchess County, 119-20; landed 
estate, 120-21; mercantile inter- 
ests, 121-2; inventory of mills, 
122-3; public offices,123-4; church- 
man, 124, 187; attitude to Revolu- 
tion, 124-7,128,129,411-12; Mem- 
orial to British Government, 125, 
147; elected to Provincial Con- 
gress, 127; refuses oath of alle- 
giance, 129-31; escapes to New 
York, 131; personal property 
seized, 134; attained, 134-5; real 
estate losses, 135; raises Loyal 
American Regiment, 135-7; war 
service, 137-8; head of Intelli- 
gence department, 138-9; rela- 
tions with Andre" and Arnold, 139- 
41; financial straits, 143-4; letter 
to Sir Guy Carleton, 144-5; sails 
for England, 146-7; recommended 
to Lord North, 145-6; situation in 
England, 146-7; schedule of per- 
sonal property, 147-9; valuation 
of real estate, 149-50; hearing of 



claim, 150-1; letter from England, 

151-3; award of compensation, 

153; death, 154; memorial tablet, 

154. 
Robinson's Mill, situation of, 121; 

seized in Revolution, 122; sold to 

Smith, 122. 
Rye, church in, 18, 19, 91, 92, 106, 

259. 

Saccaoppa, 111. 

Seal, parochial, 38, 155; 

Schenectady, Rev. John Doty in, 
74; first services, 75; description 
of, 75; church in, 75, 76; during 
Revolution, 76, 80, 81. 

Scotch Plains, N. J., 302. 

Sexton, 55, 224, 233. 

Slaves, mission to, 12-13; in Dut- 
chess County, 181; Robinson's, 
148. 

Society for the Propagation of the 
Gospel, first missionaries of, 10- 
11,37; organization of, 37; letter 
of Vestry to, 33-5; petition to, 
36-7; ceases to send missionaries, 
211. 

South Farm, 310. 

Spanish-American War, 343. 

Staten Island, church in, 11-12. 

St. James' Chapel, erection of, 246, 
248, 268; land given for, 248; Al- 
tar at, 248-9; work at, 248, 249, 
273, 274, 276, 392. 

St. John's Chapel, 249, 269, 273, 276. 

St. Peter's Church, gift of land, 19, 
20; trustees of, 20; opening ser- 
vice, 21, 33; Royal Charter, 22- 
30; during Revolution, 39, 41-2, 
86-7; Presbyterians attempt to 
take, 22, 40; condition after War, 
41, 400; compensation for damag- 
es, 41-3; petition to Trinity Cor- 
poration, 43-5, 49-52; donation 
from Trinity, 48, 50, 51; dimen- 
sions of, 54; pews in, 54; descrip- 
tion of, 54; clerk, 55; chorister, 
55; sexton, 55; churchyard, 55-6; 
lottery, 56-7; collections in, 58; 
new church, 63; Baptisms, 347-8. 

St. Philip's Chapel and Church in 
the Highlands, services at Mande- 
ville's, 32, 35, 36, 187, 188; asso- 
ciation with St. Peter's, 34-5, 36, 
178, 187, 188, 189, 201; during 
Revolution. 37. 41, 46. 86-7. 190- 



434 



Index to Subjects 



3, 201; erection of Chapel, 187, 
201; gift of land, 189; situation 
of, 190, 402; closed during War, 
194, 398, 404; re-organization, 
195-6, 308; Silas Constant preach- 
es in, 195, 216-7; lack of clergy, 

196, 209-10, 211-12; rental of 
churchyard, 196, 197; pews in, 

197, 208; repairs to, 197-200, 214- 
5; appeal to Trinity Corporation 
200-5, 404; proposed alterations, 
204-6,214; Consecration of, 206-7; 
dimensions of, 207; description of, 
207-8; accounts, 218-9; spiritual 
conditions. 219-22; parochial 
school, 222-3; becomes a parish, 
225; Act of Incorporation, 225-6; 
election of Vestry, 227; legacy, 
227; first Rector, 227; financial 
conditions, 228, 232-3; reports to 
Convention, 228-9; parochial 
accounts, 229-31; subscriptions 
for Rectors, 231-2; subscription 
for repairs, 233; proposed chancel 
alterations, 235-9; proposals for 
new church, 239-40; plans, 240; 
building committee, 240; sub- 
scribers, 240-2; corner stone laid, 
242; Consecration, 243; Instru- 
ment of Donation, 243-4; Certifi- 
cate of Consecration, 244-6; dis- 
position of old church, 246; Cen- 
tennial, 246; repairs to Rectory, 
247; gift of Organ, 247; gift of 
Parish House, 247; missions in 
parish, 248-9; St. James' Chapel, 
248-9, 268; St. John's Chapel, 
249; Memorial Rectory, 250-2; 
Sun Dial, 252; Memorials and 
Benefactions, 252-6. 

St. Philip's Churchyard, 196, 197, 

246, 252, 253, 303, 340-6. 
St. Philip's Hall, 249. 
St. Philip's Parochial School, 46, 

222-3, 402, 404. 
St. Philip's Sunday School, 219, 221- 

2, 228, 233-4. 
St. Stephen's College, 269. 
Sun Dial, 252. 



Supervisors, 123, 163. 

Thornbury (Eng.), 154. 

Tories, Westchester, 161, 162, 166, 

167, 168, 210-11, 394. 
Treasurer, parochial, 58, 282, 285. 
Trinity Church Corporation, Vestry 

appeals to, 39, 43-5, 49, 50, 51, 

200-5, 395-6. 
Trinity Church, N. Y., erection, 9; 

mission to slaves, 12-3; during 

Revolution, 14-5; destroyed by 

fire, 14-5; donations to churches, 

48, 51-2. 
Trinity College, 267. 

Utrecht, Treaty of , 117. 

Vermont, church in, 265-6, 267. 
Vermont University of, 265. 
Vestry, Clerks of, 37, 45, 117, 281, 

285. 
Vestrymen, 23, 25, 31, 32, 44, 115-6, 

227, 279, 281. 

War of 1812, 301, 302. 

Washington, Treaty of, 289. 

Waterford, Grace Church, 272. 

Westchester, church in, 18, 91. 

Westchester County, Church in, re- 
ligious conditions, 15-6, 19; first 
missionaries, 18-9; church in Rye, 
18, 91, 92; Westchester, 18, 91; 
Eastchester, 18; Yonkers, 18, 91, 
92; Bedford, 18, 92; Mamaro- 
neck, 18; Northcastle, 18; New 
Rochelle, 18; White Plains, 92. 

Westchester County Bank, 175; 
Militia, 158, 160, 169. 

West Haven, Ct., 91. 

West Point Foundry, 175, 232. 

West Point Military Academy, 110, 
156, 343. 

Williams College, 272. 

Yale College, 90, 91. 
Yale Divinity School, 272. 
Yonkers, St. John's Church, 18, 91 , 
92, 107, 258. 



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